Danville, VA - The Hollins volleyball team played a pair of matches on day two of the 2015 Averett University Cougar Classic on Sunday afternoon.  Hollins started the day by facing ODAC foe Shenandoah before closing out the weekend against host Averett in the tournament finale.

After falling in heartbreaking fashion to Randolph College on Saturday morning, Hollins was once again across the net from a familiar opponent when they squared off with the Hornets.  Shenandoah got off to a quick start by taking the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-14, leaving Hollins in a big hole.  To make matters worse, the Hornets raced out to a 14-1 lead in the third.  After a timeout and some spirited instruction from first year head coach Kat Lawson, Hollins responded in a big way.  Hollins played with much more confidence and began to chip away at the Shenandoah lead.  However, when they final point was played it was the team from Winchester that won the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-0.

In the tournament finale, Hollins went head to head with the host Cougars from Danville.  Averett has experienced some early season success against the ODAC, having beaten Shenandoah, Guilford, Emory & Henry, and defending conference champion Washington and Lee to start the season.  Hollins was not only looking to salvage a match this weekend but to gain a small bit of revenge for the entire conference.  The first set saw Hollins go toe to toe with their hosts and trailed by just one point, 20-19, late in the frame.  The Cougars regained the momentum and took the first, 25-22, and carried that throughout the second, 25-13.  Hollins had one last chance to get back into the match and with the score tied, 21-21, it appeared Hollins had a chance to start a comeback.  Three straight Cougar points all but closed out their visitors and it was Averett that completed the four team ODAC sweep with a 25-23 tournament ending victory.

First-year middle Deja Hadden (Norfolk, VA) had another strong match by leading the team with eight kills and five blocks.  Haley Ortiz (Portsmouth, VA) recorded seven kills and 12 digs while fellow senior Lela Moore (Woodleaf, NC) added four kills, seven digs, and a team high 15 assists.  Torri Jolly (Linden, NC) registered a match high 23 digs from the back row.

Hollins will be back on the road mid-week when they travel to face Mary Baldwin College on Wednesday night.