The Batten University women's volleyball team used several decisive scoring runs to take control Saturday afternoon, sweeping Randolph College 3-0 with set victories of 25-22, 25-10 and 25-14.
The Marlins improved to 14-3 overall and 3-2 in ODAC play with the victory.
Hannah Smith led the Batten attack with 13 kills while hitting .400 and added five digs. Valarie Nolan turned in an all-around performance with nine kills on a .333 hitting percentage, 13 digs and three service aces, while Anna Moody added nine kills and hit .300.
Elizabeth York finished with six kills, while Brenna Raymond anchored the back row with a match-high 17 digs. Niya Nash dished out 18 assists, with Liles adding 12 assists, five digs and two service aces.
Batten established the early advantage in the opening set, turning a 2-2 tie into a 6-2 lead behind a four-point run. The Marlins continued to create separation and eventually built a 19-13 advantage, but Randolph responded with its strongest stretch of the match.
The WildCats chipped away at the deficit before a four-point run erased Batten's 20-16 advantage and tied the set at 20-20. The teams traded points until Randolph pulled even again at 22-22, setting up a crucial finish.
Hannah Smith stopped the Randolph momentum with back-to-back kills to give Batten set point at 24-22, and Ava Baker followed with a kill to finish the 25-22 victory.
The momentum from that finish carried directly into the second set.
Leading 7-3, the Marlins broke the set open behind Kathryn Liles at the service line. Batten rattled off six consecutive points, with Liles recording two service aces while Valerie Nolan added two kills during the run to extend the advantage to 13-3.
From there, Randolph never got closer than eight points. Batten closed the set by scoring five of the final six points, including kills from Anna Moody, Aajah Vazquez, Nolan and Elizabeth York, to cruise to a 25-10 win.
Randolph opened the third set with the first three points, but the early deficit did little to slow the Marlins. Batten immediately answered with five straight points, capped by a Nolan kill, to flip the momentum and take a 5-3 advantage.
The Marlins continued to build on the lead and delivered another important run midway through the set. Ahead 8-6, Batten scored four straight points behind a Smith kill, a Liles kill and consecutive Nolan service aces to stretch the margin to 12-6.
Batten later turned an 8-12 margin into an 8-17 deficit for Randolph with another five-point surge, highlighted by a Smith kill and back-to-back service aces from Caylen Carroll. The Marlins maintained control the rest of the way before Nolan delivered the final kill of the afternoon for a 25-14 victory and the sweep.
