The Batten University women's volleyball team secured its 20th victory of the season, sweeping ODAC opponent Roanoke College in straight sets (25-19, 25-17, 25-21) inside TowneBank Arena.
With the victory, the Marlins improved to 20-4 overall and 7-2 in ODAC play, while Roanoke fell to 14-7 overall and 4-4 in conference action.
Anna Moody led the Marlins offensively with a match-high 13 kills while hitting .304. Hannah Smith followed with 12 kills and 11 digs for a double-double, while Aajah Vazquez contributed nine kills on an impressive .353 hitting percentage, along with three total blocks.
Niya Nash directed the offense with 22 assists, seven digs, and a service ace, while Kathryn Liles added 21 assists. Defensively, libero Brenna Raymond anchored the back row with a match-high 20 digs and two service aces. Caylen Carroll added nine digs.
As a team, Batten finished with 47 kills, 46 assists, 59 digs, and six service aces while holding Roanoke to a .121 hitting percentage.
Set One: Batten 25, Roanoke 19
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle as Roanoke jumped ahead early, taking a 10-7 advantage. The Marlins responded behind kills from Moody, Smith, and Valerie Nolan to even the score at 11-11.
After trading points, Batten grabbed its first lead at 13-12 before consecutive kills from Moody and a pair of Roanoke attack errors helped the Marlins establish a 16-13 advantage.
Leading 18-16, Batten found its rhythm offensively as Vazquez delivered back-to-back kills, followed by consecutive kills from Smith to extend the Marlins' lead to 22-16.
Roanoke attempted to close the gap, but another kill from Vazquez and a set-ending service ace from Smith secured the 25-19 opening-set victory.
Moody and Smith each recorded five kills in the opening frame, while Vazquez added four.
Set Two: Batten 25, Roanoke 17
The Marlins wasted little time establishing control in the second set, opening on a commanding 6-0 run behind the serving of Raymond. The stretch featured a service ace, a kill from Smith, and a combined block from Vazquez and Nash.
Batten continued to apply pressure, extending its advantage to 9-2 before Roanoke briefly trimmed the deficit.
Holding a 13-9 lead, the Marlins put together another three-point run, highlighted by a Smith kill and a combined block from Smith and Vazquez, pushing the score to 16-9.
Batten maintained its comfortable advantage throughout the remainder of the frame as kills from Moody, Vazquez, Elizabeth York, and Ava Baker kept Roanoke from mounting a comeback.
Raymond delivered another service ace to bring the Marlins to set point before Smith finished the frame with a kill, giving Batten a 25-17 victory and a 2-0 match advantage.
The Marlins produced their most efficient offensive performance of the evening in the second set, hitting .333 with 14 kills and just five attack errors.
Set Three: Batten 25, Roanoke 21
Looking to complete the sweep, Batten established an early 5-2 lead behind kills from Moody and Smith.
The Marlins maintained their advantage through the middle portion of the set, with contributions from Nolan, Baker, and York helping Batten build an 11-7 lead.
Roanoke narrowed the deficit to 12-11, but Batten answered with three consecutive points, highlighted by a Nash service ace and a Vazquez kill, to extend its lead to 15-11.
Later in the frame, Riley Stever delivered a service ace as part of a three-point run that pushed the Marlins ahead 19-14. Moody and Baker followed with kills to give Batten a 21-15 advantage.
Roanoke made one final push, cutting the deficit to 22-20, but the Marlins remained composed down the stretch.
Smith delivered a kill to bring Batten to match point at 24-20 before putting away the final point with another kill, securing the 25-21 victory and completing the straight-set sweep.
