Danville, V.A. – The North Carolina Wesleyan University volleyball team rallied from an opening-set loss to defeat Averett University, 3-1, Tuesday evening at the E. Stuart James Grant Center. The Battling Bishops improved to 2-3 on the season with the victory.
The night was highlighted by a major career milestone for senior libero #1 Jadyn Smith, who recorded her 1,000th career dig as a Battling Bishop. Smith finished the match with a team-high 20 digs, becoming the latest member of the program to reach the 1,000-dig milestone. She also added two kills, two assists and two service aces in the victory.
Averett took the opening set, 25-22, before Wesleyan responded in a tightly contested second frame. The Bishops edged the Cougars, 26-24, to even the match at one set apiece before taking control over the final two sets. Wesleyan claimed both the third and fourth sets by identical 25-16 scores to secure the four-set victory.
The Battling Bishops produced their strongest offensive performance of the night in the fourth set, hitting .364 with 16 kills and just four errors. Wesleyan finished the match with 56 kills while hitting .210 as a team, compared to Averett's 42 kills and .116 hitting percentage. The Bishops also held an 11-7 advantage in service aces.
Savannah Banks led the Wesleyan attack with 14 kills while hitting .346, followed by Ashley Hinton with 11 kills and 18 digs. Sadie Schramm added 10 kills and eight digs, while Emilee Wilson contributed nine kills, 37 assists and two service aces.
Wesleyan will return to action on Friday, Sept. 11, when the Battling Bishops travel to Salem, VA, for the Roanoke Classic. NC Wesleyan will open the tournament against host Roanoke College at 4:00 p.m. before facing Brevard College at 6:00 p.m. The Bishops will wrap up the tournament on Saturday, Sept. 12, against Randolph College at 9:00 a.m. and Hollins University at 11:00 a.m.
