RALEIGH, N.C. - The Meredith College volleyball team rallied in the fifth set of tonight's thriller to take down the USA South's North division leader Averett University. The 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 25-19, 14-25, 15-12) victory moves Meredith in front of the Cougars in current standings.

With a 2-1 lead after three sets, the Meredith volleyball team dropped 11 consecutive points to open the fourth. Karlie Long finally crushed a ball to put her team on the scoreboard at 11-1, and the Avenging Angels began to chip away at the deficit.

The hole proved too deep for Meredith, but the momentum began to shift late in the set. Anna Hayes put down a kill, and Clarke Glendenning subbed in for a service ace. Molly Markley capped off the rally to pull Meredith back to within 10, and Averett called for a timeout.

The Angels got as close as seven but fell short. The Cougars scored four of the final five points to claim a 25-14 set win and forced a deciding frame.

Meredith opened the final set with a 2-0 lead on a kill from Hayes and a Cougar error.

But Averett turned the tide quickly with four straight points on a pair of kills, a block and a service ace.

Long ended the run with a point dished out by Glendenning, and Averett countered with another attack to remain in the lead by two at 5-3.

Jasmine Aguinaldo landed a kill before AU's Allison Sparks created a pair of points for her team. The rally forced MC's Head Coach Fiona Barkley to whistle for a timeout.

After the 60-second break, Averett dropped the next point on an unforced error. But A. Sparks scored the next two to extend the Cougar advantage to four at 9-5.

A determined Avenging Angel squad took advantage of a ball handling error on AU to jumpstart a four-point rally to tie the set at nines.

A. Sparks landed one more of her 22 game-high kills for a sideout but sailed her serve past the end line to give the ball right back to Meredith.

Glendenning assisted on a pair of kills to Hayes and Long, and Aguinaldo dropped one from the middle on the way to a four-point rally. Libero Emery McGee created a match-point with a service ace.

Averett's Megan Sawyer landed a kill on the next play but stroked her serve wide-right to pass the win to the Avenging Angels.

Long led Meredith with 20 kills, adding 12 digs. Markley notched 10 kills and five blocks from the middle, and Aguinaldo added six more of MC's 18 total blocks. McGee recorded a game-high 14 digs, and Glendenning led the Avenging Angels with 25 assists and three service aces.

Averett's setter Nicole Barringer posted a game-high 37 assists in the loss.

Meredith travels to Demorest, Georgia, this weekend to face Piedmont College and Methodist University. Saturday's USA South action begins at Noon for the Avenging Angels. Follow the battle with the Lions live here.