The Batten University women's volleyball team delivered an impressive offensive performance, sweeping Hollins University 3-0 (25-13, 25-8, 25-19) inside TowneBank Arena at the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
With the victory, the Marlins improved to 21-4 overall and 8-2 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play, while Hollins fell to 6-15 overall and 1-9 in conference action.
Hannah Smith led the Marlins with a match-high 12 kills on 17 attempts without committing an attack error, finishing with a remarkable .706 hitting percentage. Anna Moody followed with 10 kills and a .643 hitting percentage, while Aajah Vazquez contributed seven kills on 11 attempts for a .636 hitting percentage.
Elizabeth York added six kills, and Vanessa Jarvis chipped in four kills and two service aces. Niya Nash directed the offense with 22 assists and three service aces, while Kathryn Liles contributed 14 assists.
Defensively, libero Brenna Raymond recorded a team-high 10 digs and four service aces. The Marlins finished the afternoon hitting .372 as a team, recording 48 kills, 46 assists, 44 digs, and 11 service aces.
Set One: Batten 25, Hollins 13
The Marlins quickly established control in the opening set after falling behind 1-0. Batten responded with five consecutive points, highlighted by kills from Vazquez, Smith, and Moody, to take a 5-1 advantage.
Hollins managed to close the deficit to 11-10, but the Marlins responded with a strong offensive push. Following a kill from York that made it 12-10, Batten used a 9-1 run to extend its lead to 21-11.
Raymond played a significant role during the run, recording two service aces, while Smith, Vazquez, and York contributed kills to keep the momentum firmly in Batten's favor.
Moody closed out the opening set with a kill to secure the 25-13 victory. The Marlins recorded 17 kills and hit .367 during the frame, with Smith and Vazquez contributing five kills apiece.
Set Two: Batten 25, Hollins 8
Batten carried its momentum into the second set, delivering its most dominant performance of the afternoon.
The Marlins opened with a 4-0 run behind two kills from Smith and a service ace from Raymond. After Hollins scored its first point, Batten responded with seven consecutive points to build an 11-1 advantage.
Smith powered the early offensive surge with five kills during the opening 12 points, while Nash contributed two service aces during the run.
Batten continued to pull away, extending its lead to 19-4 following kills from Jarvis and Abbey Samples, along with a block from Jarvis.
Jarvis later delivered back-to-back service aces to push the advantage to 23-7 before Nash finished the set with another ace, giving the Marlins a commanding 25-8 victory.
The Marlins hit a match-best .429 in the second set, committing just two attack errors on 28 attempts. Smith led the way with seven kills, while Nash recorded eight assists and three service aces.
Set Three: Batten 25, Hollins 19
The Marlins continued their strong play in the third set, opening with an 8-3 advantage behind kills from Jarvis, Maddie Thompson, Moody, and Maelyn Thams.
Batten extended its lead to 12-5 following consecutive kills from Moody and a service ace from Vazquez.
The Marlins maintained control throughout the middle stages of the set, building an 18-9 advantage after York recorded three kills during a four-point stretch.
Hollins made a late push, trimming the deficit to 22-19 behind a pair of service aces from Laken Tingler. However, Batten responded with the final three points of the match.
Jarvis stopped the Hollins run with a kill before a Hollins attack error brought the Marlins to match point. Raymond sealed the victory with her fourth service ace of the afternoon, completing the 25-19 set win and the three-set sweep.
Moody led Batten in the final frame with five kills on six attempts, while York added four kills to help the Marlins finish the match hitting .372 overall.
