DANVILLE, Va. – Having a career day in a loss is always bittersweet. And that's exactly what happened to Mara Woolford on Saturday.  

The senior notched a career-high 20 kills, but the Cougars of Averett University were the ones who picked up the win, picking up the reverse sweep of EMU, 3-2 (21-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-11).   

Records: EMU 6-10, 1-5 ODAC | Averett University 9-10, 4-2 ODAC

Highlights

Set One – EMU 25, Averett 21

• Averett jumped out to a 5-2 lead to start the match, before EMU went on a 4-2 run, using two kills from Sophia Denby, to pull back within one, 7-6.
• AU continued to lead, and was able to extend their lead to as many as four, at 15-11 and 16-12, before EMU made their move to cut into the Cougars advantage. The Royals went on a big 8-2 run, using a pair of kills from Kassidy Meadows and one from Woolford, along with blocks from Kenley Smith and Meadows and a Mckenzie Taylor ace, to take a 20-18 lead, and force an Averett timeout.
• Out of the break, Meadows and Woolford had back-to-back kills to push EMU's lead to three and, with EMU leading 24-21, Woolford added another kill, her sixth of the set, to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.

Set Two – EMU 25, Averett 20

• The Royals took a big lead to start the second set, leading 8-2 after a pair of kills from Madison Stockner, blocks from Stockner, Meadows and Woolford and an Anna Black ace.
• EMU was able to extend their lead to as many as nine during the set, leading 14-5, and they maintained a healthy lead all the way to 22-13, after a 3-0 run from a Meadows/Smith block and a Hannah Quero ace.
• A kill from Woolford and a Woolford/Stockner block gave the Royals a 24-14 lead, but Averett made it interesting, reeling off six straight points to cut EMU's lead to 24-20. A Cougar attack error gave EMU the set, however, and a 2-0 lead.

Set Three – Averett 25, EMU 19

• EMU started out ahead 3-1 in set three, but this time the Cougars came storming back, going crazy in a 15-5 run and taking a 16-8 advantage.
• EMU answered with a run of its own, 5-1, highlighted by kills from Denby and Meadows, along with a pair of Stockner aces, to cut the Averett lead to 17-13.
• The teams swapped points to 19-15 before three straight Cougar kills pushed their lead to seven. EMU picked up four more points, three off AU errors and one from Woolford, but Averett's kill gave them the third set.

Set Four – Averett 25, EMU 23

• Averett had a 5-1 lead to start the third set, and was able to keep a four-point lead to 10-6. EMU pulled within one with a pair of Woolford kills and an attack error, but Averett went on a 4-0 run to push their lead back to five, 14-9.
• The Cougars continued to lead, getting 18-13, but EMU responded with a 7-1 run, highlighted by a pair of Denby kills and blocks from Smith, Kaitlyn Custis and Denby, to take a 20-19 lead.
• Averett retook the lead with a 3-0 run, forcing EMU to take a timeout. Out of the break, kills from Meadows and Woolford tied the set at 22, but AU would force a fifth set by winning three of the final four points.

Set Five – Averett 15, EMU 11

• A Woolford kill, a Meadows ace and an error gave EMU a 3-1 lead in the fifth set. The teams traded points, until a 4-0 run gave Averett a 6-4 advantage.
• EMU added two points off a service error and a Stockner ace to tie things at six, and the teams stayed tied to eight-all.
• Averett went on a 4-1 run, as EMU took a timeout looking to quash the Cougars momentum. EMU was able to pick up an attack error and another kill from Woolford, her 20^th of the match, but a Cougar kill ended the match and gave Averett the reverse sweep.

Statistical Leaders
Woolford: 20 kills, 12 digs, 3 blocks
Meadows: 10 kills, 14 digs, 3 blocks, 1 ace
Custis: 29 assists, 9 digs, 2 blocks
Black: 22 digs, 2 aces

What's Next
EMU will be back in action on Wednesday when they head to Winchester to take on Shenandoah University. First serve against the Hornets is set for 6:30 pm.  

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