The Batten University women's volleyball (17-3, 5-2 ODAC) team continued its winning ways, sweeping Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) opponent Guilford College (6-16, 2-5 ODAC) in straight sets (25-16, 25-19, 25-14) inside TowneBank Arena at the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
Anna Moody led the Marlins' offensive attack with a match-high 18 kills on 27 attempts, committing just two errors for an impressive .593 hitting percentage. Hannah Smith added 10 kills, nine digs, and four service aces, while Valerie Nolan contributed nine kills and six digs.
Aajah Vazquez provided six kills on seven attempts for a .714 hitting percentage while adding four block assists. Niya Nash directed the offense with 30 assists and three service aces, while Kathryn Liles added 10 assists. Defensively, Brenna Raymond anchored the back row with a match-high 16 digs.
As a team, Batten finished with 47 kills and a .308 hitting percentage while holding Guilford to just 22 kills and a .078 hitting percentage. The Marlins also collected 10 service aces and nine total team blocks.
Set One: Batten 25, Guilford 16
Guilford opened the match by scoring the first two points before Batten quickly settled into its offensive rhythm. Trailing 3-2, the Marlins rattled off four consecutive points behind kills from Moody and Smith, along with a Nash service ace, to take a 6-3 advantage.
Batten continued to build momentum as Moody delivered three early kills to help the Marlins establish a 10-6 lead. Back-to-back kills from Vazquez extended the advantage to 12-7, forcing a Guilford timeout.
The Marlins maintained control throughout the remainder of the set, using a three-point run highlighted by a Nolan service ace and a Smith kill to stretch the lead to 17-9.
Moody continued to find success at the net, recording seven kills without an error in the opening frame. Batten closed out the set on an Elizabeth York kill to secure the 25-16 victory.
The Marlins hit an impressive .351 in the opening set, recording 18 kills.
Set Two: Batten 25, Guilford 19
The Quakers jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage in the second set before Batten responded with a strong offensive surge.
Trailing 5-3, the Marlins scored five consecutive points behind three kills from Moody, a kill from Nolan, and a Guilford attack error to take an 8-5 lead.
Batten continued to control the tempo as the set progressed, building a 14-11 advantage before Smith sparked another offensive run. The Marlins scored five of the next six points, highlighted by consecutive service aces from Smith and kills from Moody and Nolan, extending the lead to 19-12.
Guilford attempted to close the gap late, cutting Batten's advantage to 21-18, but the Marlins responded by scoring four of the final five points. A Nolan kill, a Smith kill, and consecutive Guilford attack errors sealed the 25-19 victory.
Moody once again led the offensive charge with eight kills in the frame, while Nolan added four.
Set Three: Batten 25, Guilford 14
Batten wasted little time taking control of the third set after Guilford scored the opening two points.
The Marlins responded with six consecutive points behind two Nash service aces and kills from Moody and Smith to take a 6-2 advantage.
With momentum firmly on their side, Batten continued its offensive pressure, extending the lead to 11-3 following consecutive Nolan kills, a Smith service ace, and a block from Ava Baker and Moody.
The Marlins pushed their advantage to double digits at 14-4 as Maelyn Thams delivered back-to-back service aces.
Batten maintained its comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the frame, using contributions from across the lineup to extend the advantage to 21-11. Moody added another kill late in the set before Alissa Clabo recorded a kill to bring the Marlins to match point.
Nolan delivered the final point with her fifth kill of the set, securing the 25-14 victory and completing the conference sweep.
Batten finished the final frame hitting .344 with 15 kills and five service aces, closing out the match in straight sets.
