Every athlete has heard the saying "take one game at time." Well, head coach Danny Miller and the Averett University volleyball team have decided to look a bit beyond that for the 2016 season.
 
Last year the team's primary goal was to win the USA South Conference regular season title, but this season, the Cougars are aiming straight for the top, believing that the rest will take care of itself if they look directly towards the ultimate destination.
 
"Our goal is obviously to win the East in the regular season, but that's really a minor goal because our maximum goal is to get to the NCAA tournament," said Miller, who enters his 22nd season as head coach. "We want to extend where we're looking and not just look at one place and then have games afterwards. We want to get to the end-point."
 
The Cougars began this mentality during their spring practice and carried over into the fall, and the whole team stayed on the same page.
 
After conquering the now non-existent North Division in 2015 with a 17-2 conference record, Averett was voted as the favorite in the East Division of the USA South Preseason Coaches Poll. The pick is certainly justifiable as the squad returns the USA South Player of the Year Hannah Shields and the USA South Rookie of the Year Keenan Marks.
 
Shields, a junior outside hitter and two-time All-American, has racked up 1,354 kills in just two seasons, leading the conference in the category during her freshman and sophomore years. Currently the only setter listed on the roster, sophomore Marks totaled 1,165 assists in 2015 while also leading the USA South with 10.31 assists per set. Despite the impressive numbers and accolades, a factor that makes the two players even better is how unsatisfied they are with last season's results.
 
"Both of them have come in very hungry," Miller said of his two standout players. "They don't want to rest on their laurels. They want to get better."
 
Below is a breakdown by position.
 
The Attack
Opposite of Shields, Averett returns two-year starter Sarah Smoot, a junior outside hitter. As a two-time All-Conference selection, Smoot totaled 323 kills last season to help solidify the Cougars' offense. Joining the Cougars at the outside position are sophomore transfer Emily Stanley and freshmen Brianna Williams and Erin Whitman. Williams in particular, has shown her ability to play multiple positions having practiced as both an outside hitter and middle hitter with her impressive vertical and powerful contact.   
 
"She's a very talented young player that could actually help us in a lot of different ways," Miller said of Williams. "I think we could make adjustments and move her around if we needed to [in order] to get some depth."
 
On the right side, the Cougars return juniors Lynsey Corriher, Lexi Rosenbaum, and Hayden Rigsbee. Freshman lefty Abby Taylor will make her way to court to join the right side hitting crew as well.
 
In the Middle
Brittany Daley moved back to the middle after playing right side last season. Before suffering injuries in 2015, Daley rotated between middle hitter and right side, but with depth in both positions this season, the senior captain will transition back into her primary role. In addition to Daley, senior Ali Wall returns for Averett. Freshmen Madison Dadez, Cydne Moore and Benedicte Pedersen will also be forces in the middle for the Cougars.
 
The Defense
Junior Christiana Summa will lead the back row as libero, a role that she's taken on since her freshman year, and since the Cougars graduated two starting defensive specialists, junior Jordyn Minton has shifted from the outside hitting position to behind the line to assist Summa. Sophomore Kaleigh Steelman and freshman Harper Scollo will join Summa and Minton on the back line.
 
Averett makes its season debut on its home court against Southern Virginia University on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. at the E. Stuart James Grant Center.