Scores:
Maryville 3, Meredith 2 (21-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-10)
Meredith 3, Averett 1 (25-21, 25-15, 21-25, 27-25)

RALEIGH, N.C.  – The Meredith volleyball team concluded the first day of action in the 2025 Raleigh Invitational by splitting with Maryville and Averett on Friday night at the Weatherspoon Gym.

Maryville opened with a come-from-behind win over Meredith, but the Avenging Angels emerged with a four-set win over Averett for their fourth win of the season. 

MARYVILLE 3, MEREDITH 2

A defiant Maryville squad rallied from an 0-2 deficit to take three consecutive games and earn a five-set victory (21-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-10) at Weatherspoon Gym in the first Friday match of the Raleigh Invitational. 

Maryville was led offensively by the tandem of Kylie Wilhelmi (21 kills) and Cailin Mastropasqua (19 kills), as the unit tallied 55 kills on the match. Teammate Megan Fairburn added 27 assists, while the defensive attacked was highlighted by Katelyn Eldred (27 digs) and Ava George Wilber (six blocks-five solo). 

The catalyst to the Meredith offense was Caitlyn Russell (15 kills) and Davie Brabbie (nine kills), resulting in 41 team kills for the Avenging Angels. Teammate Lillie Davis dished out a match-high 33 assists, while the defensive attack was highlighted by Megan Murray's 21 digs and Kinley Copeland, who closed with five assisted blocks. 

FIRST SET: Meredith took advantage of eight kills and two solo blocks in the first set to claim the 25-21 win. Knotted at 17-all, slams by Russell and Sara Dees helped give Meredith a three-point lead, 20-17. The Avenging Angels closed out the win with a service ace from Davis. 

SECOND SET: The Avenging Angels enjoyed a .321 attack percentage, following 10 kills in 28 attacks, in the second frame. Meanwhile, the defense forced Maryville into eight errors along the way. Russell highlighted the offensive attack with five kills in the frame. Russell's slam for the 10th Meredith point provided a five-point advantage. The Scots answered with an 8-3 run, evening the match at 13, for the first of three ties that resulted in an eventual 16-all contest. A trio of Maryville errors provided the Avenging Angels with a lead they would not relinquish as they closed out the 25-18 win on a pair of Russell kills. 

THIRD SET: Maryville began its comeback in the third with 14 kills in 44 attacks to claim the five-point victory. Mastropasqua was a key spark in the rally with seven kills in the third set alone. The Scots broke a 3-3 tie with a 7-3 run, forcing a Meredith timeout. The Avenging Angels responded with a service ace from Caroline Prease which trimmed the margin to two, 14-12. In a set of runs, Maryville regained the momentum and a 19-13 lead in the process. After seeing its lead cut to four on two occasions down the stretch, Mastropasqua delivered a kill and coupled with a Meredith miscue, the Scots grabbed the victory. 

FOURTH SET: The Scots followed with 13 kills in the fourth, evening the match at two-all, as the game went to a decisive fifth set. Wilhelmi was the spark in the Maryville offense in the fourth set with six kills and a .308 attack percentage. The back-and-forth battle put the score at nine-all before a kill from Wilhelmi helped Maryville build a 13-11 lead. The Avenging Angels battled back, using an attack error to even the set at 18, before a 7-3 run closed out the Maryville victory on the Wilhelmi slam. 

FIFTH SET: After rebounding from an early deficit 6-1 in the fifth, Maryville drove home eight kills to earn the five-set triumph. Wilhelmi in serve led the comeback as Meredith committed three errors and the Scots picked up two kills from Mastropasqua, establishing a 12-7 lead. Meredith managed just two points before a kill by Ruby Walton coupled with a service ace by Kyrah Bowles completed the Maryville come-from-behind victory. 

MEREDITH 3, AVERETT 1

The duo of Daven Brabble (17 kills / .324 attack percentage) and Caitlyn Russell (11 kills) led the way for the Meredith, while Megan Murray anchored the Avenging Angels' defense in a 25-21, 25-15, 21-25, 27-25 victory in the nightcap of the first day of action at the Raleigh Invitational. 

Meredith closed with 57 kills (.243 attack percentage), while recording 60 digs and four assisted blocks. 

The Avenging Angels held Averett to 47 kills (.199 attack percentage), despite a team-high 16 kills off the hand of Tahani Villines. Villines delivered a .469 attack percentage, committing just one miscue in the match. She was also active on defense with 16 digs, while Allie Wilkerson anchored the front row with four blocks (three assisted blocks). 

FIRST SET: The tightly-contested opening set witnessed just one three-point (15-12), which resulted in a Meredith advantage, came down to the waning stages of the set. Kinley Copeland drove a kill past the Averett defense and Sydney Mounce followed with a service ace to give the Avenging Angels a 22-20 lead. Copeland added a kill down the stretch, putting the score at 24-21, before an attack error by Dayton Moore secured the Meredith victory by four. 

SECOND SET: With the score knotted at 11, Meredith answered with an 8-3 run, highlighted by three service aces, to force an Averett timeout. After an unforced error by the Cougars, Kyleigh Rains aced Averett and teammate Daven Brabbie tacked on a kill to give the Avenging Angels a 22-14 edge. Brabbie delivered two more kills down the stretch to help Meredith cinch the 25-15 win. 

THIRD SET: Looking to avoid a sweep in the third set, Averett rebounded from a 9-6 deficit to score seven unanswered and move in front by four in the process. Meredith retaliated with a run of its own, trimming that deficit to 19-18. Averett surrendered just three points down the stretch to take the set by a 25-21 margin. 

FOURTH SET: Averett's momentum carried over into the early stages of the fourth set, where the Cougars established a 9-2 advantage. The Avenging Angels made a brief run, slicing the margin to 12-9, but Averett managed to maintain its lead 15-13. Meredith came out of a timeout with a timely kill by Hailey Evans to even the contest at 15-all. The back-and-forth set saw Meredith assume a 21-20 lead on a Lowery slam, forcing an Averett timeout. Reagan Kresho put Meredith at match point with a kill and Kyleigh Rains added a service ace to completed the 27-25 win.