BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Bridgewater College volleyball team salvaged a split during its tri-match after falling to conference rival Guilford, 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-19), and then outlasting Averett, 3-2 (29-31, 25-21, 25-21, 17-25, 14-16), on Saturday in Nininger Hall.

Bridgewater (18-8, 6-4 ODAC) celebrated senior day during the tri-match by recognizing the careers of four-year veterans Bailey Long and Abby Mills. Against Averett (21-8, 12-0 USA South), Mills surpassed 1,000 career kills and became just the seventh player in program history to break the mark.

The Eagles entered the weekend ranked eighth in the South Region. It's the first time BC is regionally ranked under the guidance of head coach Erin Albert. Averett is slotted right above Bridgewater at seventh in the regional standings.

Match one: Guilford 3, Bridgewater 1

A duo of Mills and Carleigh Studtmann paced the Eagles with double-digit kills. Mills recorded her 10th double-double of the year on 15 kills and 16 digs while Studtmann clubbed 10 kills and chipped in three block assists.

Rachel Kinsey landed seven kills on 14 attempts, and Jenna Hamra also posted a double-double with 40 assists and 10 digs. Macon Frey tallied a match-high 19 digs, and Rachael Girard dropped in three service aces.

Bridgewater claimed the first set by score of 25-21, but Guilford (11-12, 5-4 ODAC) rallied on the strength of its front line to overcome the early deficit. GC narrowly edged BC in kills, 49-to-46, but won the blocking battle 14-to-4. The 14 total blocks was a season-high for the Quakers.

Late in the third set, Jessica Sheek and Casey Davis stuffed an attack to tie the score, 23-all, and back-to-back BC ball handling errors gave GC a 2-1 match lead.

During the fourth set, Christina Seaks and Tina Eucker walled a Mills' attack for a 19-14 Guilford lead. A kill from Rachel Gaston closed the gap to 21-18, forcing a Quakers' timeout. The Quakers then went on a 4-1 run out of the timeout to hand Bridgewater a crushing ODAC lost.

Match two: Bridgewater 3, Averett 2

During possibly her final match in Nininger Hall, Mills powered the Eagles past the No. 7 team in the South Region with 27 kills and 16 digs. The outside hitter was just one shy of her career-best in kills. She had racked up 28 kills earlier in the year against Meredith (Sept. 17).

Studtmann also reached double-digit kills with 13 to go along with seven digs and four blocks total. Kinsey collected eight kills, and Allison Clark contributed seven more.

Hamra led all players with a career-best 63 assists, and Frey amassed a match-best 24 digs. Victoria Wilson dug up 12 attacks and Taylor McNeely finished the contest with 10.

For the Cougars, Hannah Shields smashed a match-high 32 kills on 78 attempts and Keenan Marks dished out 57 assists.

In a wild first set, the Eagles had to overcome an eight-point deficit to claim the early lead over Averett. The Cougars took a 19-11 lead following a kill by Shields. Nonetheless, BC sparked a 13-5 rally that included five kills from Mills to tie the frame at 24-all.

Studtmann denied a Brittany Daley attack and assisted Hamra on another block to lift Bridgewater to a 29-28 edge.

The Cougars' Brianna Williams forced the side-out on a kill, but an AU attack error and a Studtmann spike closed out the dramatic frame.

The Cougars bounced back by winning the second and third set by score of 25-21.

However, the Eagles answered in the fourth period as Hamra found Mills for her 1,000th career kill to take a 15-11 advantage. Hamra set Studtmann in the middle for game-point and Mills hammered another kill to keep the match alive.

The match continued to go back and forth in the fifth set. A 6-2 spurt put the Eagles ahead 14-12, but a BC service error and a spike from Shields created a 14-all affair. The Eagles then called a timeout.

Out of the break, Kinsey found an opening for the kill, and the Cougars committed an attack error to end the five-set thriller.

The Eagles return to action with a big ODAC road test against Roanoke on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The contest will mark the Eagles final conference match of the season.