Vanessa Jordan might have thought twice before going off to play lacrosse at a small college that had never won a game in the sport.

Instead, the Westbrook High graduate accepted the challenge and led this year’s Averett University team to nine victories and a trip to the postseason while setting a school scoring mark and earning Rookie of the Year honors.

“Vanessa’s been phenomenal for our team,” said her coach, Katie Talbert. “She’s so easy to coach. She’s like the nucleus of our team.”

Averett is located in Danville, Va., a city of nearly 50,000 on the North Carolina line. The school’s women’s lacrosse program is just four years old, and the Cougars play in the Division III USA South Conference.

After getting a letter from Averett in her senior year at Westbrook, Jordan talked to the coach on the phone, met with an assistant coach who came up to see her play and eventually visited the school.

In the end, it was the good feeling that she had about Talbert – who also coaches Jordan on the soccer team – that was the key factor in her decision.

“I liked the coach and came here,” said Jordan, who is majoring in psychology. “It’s hard being so far from everyone, but the people are really nice and the weather is definitely different.”

During the fall season, Jordan played center midfield for the soccer team, where she scored seven goals and was among the team leaders in minutes played. She received an all-conference honorable mention.

It was on the lacrosse field, however, that she excelled. Jordan scored in all 15 regular-season games, including nine goals in a victory over North Carolina Wesleyan on April 8. She totaled a school-record 58 goals, fourth best in the league, and added 11 assists.

“She steps up,” Talbert said. “She’s our most consistent player.”

Jordan’s play resulted in her being the first Averett women’s lacrosse player to be named Rookie of the Year, as well as the only one to be named first-team all-conference.

The Cougars also won their first games ever, starting the season with three consecutive wins, including an 11-3 drubbing of Shenandoah, a team that they lost to, 30-0, last year.

After finishing 9-6, Averett met Greensboro in the program’s first playoff game. Though they didn’t come out on top, the 16-10 loss on the road – to a team that beat them 19-6 in Danville during the regular season – was just another indication of the Cougars’ upward trend.

“We played a good game,” Jordan said, “and we had a great season. This is our building year, and we made it a strong foundation.”

With 10 freshmen on the 16-player roster – and just one senior – it certainly seems that Averett can only get stronger in the immediate future. Plus, Talbert has employed a proven strategy for next year’s freshmen class.

“I’ve recruited more players like Vanessa.”