When Danny Miller took over the Averett volleyball program 16 years ago, he just wanted to play some more home games.
To assure that, he created the Cougar Classic tournament on opening weekend. It started out small with just four teams, the old gym on main campus and a high school court. Now, 16 years later, it attracts some of the best teams from around the country and has become a notable date on the first weekend of competitive play. This year, there will be six teams competing, including perennial powerhouse Austin College and USA South Conference rival Greensboro College.
“A lot of schools hosted tournaments and Averett gave me an opportunity to do it,” Miller said. “I started hosting it on opening weekend. Originally, we did it in the old gym and we usually had a high school that was our second court since we only had one over there. We did it that first year and liked it because we got to play at home. So we did it the second year and the third year and now it has kind of become a staple.”
Since its inception in 1995, the Cougar Classic has provided Averett with some tough competition to start the season. There have been teams of all levels to compete in the Classic, and this year should be no exception. The Cougars usually do well in the tournament and Miller is excited for his team to take the floor this weekend.
“Over the years, we’ve had nationally ranked teams, regionally ranked teams and we have really had teams at all levels,” Miller said. “You want to start off the year with a tough schedule so it can challenge your team and push your team so you can be ready for your conference. We’ve been fortunate enough to have teams from Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania and all over the place. There is usually some good competition.
“We’ve had a lot of success,” he said. “We’ve won more than we’ve lost. I don’t know off the top of my head, but we’ve only won the tournament a few times. We’ll go 3-1 or 4-0, but the way we determine the winner another team wins — maybe another team we didn’t play. It’s varied from four to eight or nine teams, so you’re not going to play everybody. Most of our tournaments aren’t designed to pick a winner; it’s more just about the competition. It gives us a chance to play teams and get ready for conference play.”
Miller is excited to take the court with 2010 edition of the Averett Cougars. He feels that this year’s version is one of the most talented teams he has had in years, but there are still a few things he hasn’t yet decided, like who his key players will be.
“I think we’re going to do very well,” Miller said. “As a coach, you always wonder if there will be a group that steps up or will it be consistent where everybody plays on the same level. It’s kind of a different experience for me as a coach to be this deep, but I think we can be a really good team.
“To be honest, I’m not sure who my big players are going to be,” he added. “You expect your seniors and your juniors and people that have started for several years to be your big players, but I really think this is one of the deepest teams I had as far as level of ability. I think Allison and Sarah Sparks both have potential to be big impact players. Lisa Santos and Ashley Strickland have the ability to be big impact players. We’ve got Jesse Jones and Shannon Andy who have obviously started for a few years. Hillary Metheny played quite a bit last year. Brooke Hensley has the potential to be a big player for us. Hannah Wetherald started the last half of last year and has shown that she can be a dominant right side.
“I know I’m basically naming the entire team,” he said. “I know it doesn’t do well for specificity for an article, but in real life we are really deep and we have a lot of players that could end up being the go-to person in any particular set.”
The 16th Annual Cougar Classic will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday when Austin College plays Guilford. The Cougars first game will be at 5 p.m. when they play Austin.
| 16th Annual Cougar Classic Schedule |
| Saturday, Sept. 4 |
Center Court |
Side Court |
| 1 p.m. |
Austin vs. Guilford |
|
| 3 p.m. |
Roanoke vs. Bridgewater |
Emory & Henry vs. Greensboro |
| 5 p.m. |
Averett vs. Austin |
Guilford vs. Roanoke |
| 7 p.m. |
Averett vs. Emory & Henry |
Bridgewater vs. Greensboro |
| |
|
|
| Sunday, Sept. 5 |
Center Court |
Side Court |
| 10 a.m. |
Averett vs. Guilford |
Bridgewater vs. Austin |
| 12 p.m. |
Roanoke vs. Emory & Henry |
Austin vs. Greensboro |
| 2 p.m. |
Averett vs. Bridgewater |
Guilford vs. Emory & Henry |
| 4 p.m. |
Greensboro vs. Roanoke |
|