DANVILLE, Va. – Ta'Korya Green put up 19 kills and Emma Williams 18 kills for Oglethorpe in the final two matches of the 26th annual Cougar Classic, hosted by Averett this weekend. Oglethorpe won the first match of the day, 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16), over Roanoke before nearly handing Averett its first loss of the season, losing in five (17-25, 28-26, 19-25, 25-20, 15-7).

Averett entered the match not having dropped a set yet this season and Oglethorpe nearly took home a sweep, but a late run by the Cougars in set two proved to make a big difference.

Williams and Kinsey Wilson were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts across the three weekend matches.

"Our team showed cohesion on defense and aggression behind the serving line," Head Coach Anna Braun said. "We are walking from the weekend 2-1 with a few key focus points for this upcoming week before we host the Stormy Petrel Classic."

Big morning win, narrow afternoon loss

Green and Williams were the Stormy Petrel leaders in the second match with 12 kills and 13 kills, respectively, while Briella Kohler led the team in the morning match with 14 kills. Ellie Alfonso also reached double figures for kills against Averett with 10, and Kylee Zimmer had a big day in both contests with 49 digs on the day.

Oglethorpe and Roanoke played three close sets to start the day, deciding each 25-22. The Petrels finished the last of those on a 6-2 run which helped them swing the momentum into a 25-16 victory in game four. They finished the match on a 17-8 run, starting with a 6-0 run on Legacy Guider's serve.

Against Averett, Oglethorpe had a set lead and a 22-21 lead in game two, but the Cougars used a 7-4 run to close the game and even the match. Oglethorpe responded well to the adversity by taking game three after a 10-3 run closed the frame, but the Cougars would have the final answer in the form of a 5-0 run midway through game four and another 5-0 run at the end of the deciding game five.

Up next

Oglethorpe next plays at home for the first time this season, welcoming LaGrange, Maryville and Piedmont, among others, to Dorough Field House next Friday-Saturday, Sept. 10-11. The two-day tournament will consist of five matches on Friday and four matches on Saturday.