FERRUM, Va. - Senior volleyball middle Molly Markley hit .528 in today's USA South action as Meredith lost 3-0 to Averett (25-13, 25-17, 26-24) and defeated the host Ferrum Panthers 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-15) in the nightcap.

The Avenging Angels finished the day 7-6 overall (2-1 USA South), and the AU Cougars (9-5) remain undefeated in the league after handling Methodist (4-8, 1-2 USA South). MU put away Ferrum (1-7, 0-3 USA South) in four.

Averett jumped out to a quick 5-0 advantage over the Avenging Angels in today's Noon contest.

Rookie Karlie Long ended the run to put Meredith on the board. Markley followed with back-to-back blows to pull Meredith to within two, and Clarke Glendenning assisted on all three plays.

In spite of the effort from the Avenging Angels, Averett remained in control the rest of the way.

The second frame followed much the same pattern as AU took an early 6-3 lead over Meredith. Katelyn Rall crushed a pair of kills and Long added a third en route to a 4-0 run.

The teams traded points the next three plays before an 8-3 Cougar run put Averett out of reach for good.

AU scored first in set three before Markley and Long dropped a pair of winners with help from Glendenning to give Meredith their first lead of the match.

The Cougars tied the set on the next play, but Glendenning issued another winner to Long to launch a 5-0 Angel run.

Head AU Coach Danny Miller whistled for a timeout, and his team traded points with Meredith during the next seven plays.

Markley followed a second Cougar timeout with a kill and Jessica Goodwin launched a service ace to maintain a five-point spread.

Averett responded with a 5-1 run of their own to pull within one point.

The Avenging Angels whistled for a break in the action and returned to the court for a kill from April Hausler.  But a 7-3 Averett run landed the Cougars in front 19-17.

Meredith continued to battle and put together a three-point run to edge past AU 22-21.

Back-and-forth action on the next four plays gave the Avenging Angels the serve at set-point, but AU cruised past Meredith with a pair of kills and a block to secure the win.

In spite of the loss, the Avenging Angels regrouped for a 9-3 opening against Ferrum. Meredith held onto the six-point advantage when Rall launched a 6-2 run on a kill and a block to push Meredith ahead 22-12. 

The Panthers put together their own 6-1 series to challenge the Angel lead, but consecutive errors gave Meredith the win.

The Avenging Angels would not let Ferrum get that close again on their way to a 3-0 sweep.

Markley landed 22 in 36 attempts on the day. Long added 21 kills, 18 digs, and Jasmine Aguinaldo denied nine at the net. Glendenning dished out a team-high 35 assists with Anna Hayes notching 32. Rall posted 14 kills on the day for the Avenging Angels.

Meredith travels to N.C. Wesleyan Wednesday evening for a 7 p.m. match before returning to Weatherspoon next Saturday, September 28, for a USA South play date. The Avenging Angels face Greensboro and Mary Baldwin at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m, respectively. The Methodist Monarchs travel to Raleigh to complete the quad event.