The Batten University women's volleyball team (16-3, 5-2 ODAC) delivered a commanding performance, sweeping Averett University (1-11, 1-6 ODAC), 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-10) in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) action at TowneBank Arena.
Anna Moody led the Marlins offensively with a match-high 11 kills on a .375 hitting percentage, committing just two errors on 24 attempts. Hannah Smith followed with eight kills and eight digs, while Aajah Vazquez contributed five kills on an impressive .556 hitting percentage and added three total blocks.
Niya Nash directed the Batten offense with 21 assists and three service aces, while Kathryn Liles added 10 assists and an ace. Defensively, Brenna Raymond led the Marlins with 13 digs as Batten held Averett to a -.054 hitting percentage.
As a team, Batten finished with 36 kills on a .314 hitting percentage, six service aces, and five total blocks.
Set One: Batten 25, Averett 13
The Marlins wasted little time establishing control, opening the match with a remarkable 14-0 run behind the serving of Nash. During the stretch, Nash recorded three service aces, while Moody, Smith, and Valerie Nolan contributed kills to build an overwhelming early advantage.
Averett finally broke through to make it 14-1, but Batten continued to apply pressure. Consecutive kills from Vazquez and Moody extended the lead to 18-2 before Liles added a service ace to push the advantage to 20-3.
The Marlins eventually stretched their lead to 23-6 before the Cougars put together a late rally. Batten closed out the opening frame 25-13, hitting .310 with 12 kills.
Set Two: Batten 25, Averett 14
The second set began with a more competitive stretch as the two teams battled through four ties in the opening 10 points. With the score even at 5-5, Nolan delivered a kill to give the Marlins a lead they would not relinquish.
Batten followed with three additional points, including a kill from Vazquez and a block by Elizabeth York and Vazquez, to establish a 9-5 advantage.
Leading 11-8, the Marlins used a three-point run highlighted by a pair of Moody kills to extend their lead to 14-8. Batten continued to pull away behind contributions from Vanessa Jarvis, Alissa Clabo, and York, eventually building a 20-12 advantage.
With the score at 21-14, Riley Stever stepped to the service line and helped the Marlins secure the final four points, including a service ace, to close out the frame 25-14.
Batten posted its highest hitting percentage of the match in the second set, recording 12 kills on a .333 hitting percentage.
Set Three: Batten 25, Averett 10
The Marlins carried their momentum into the third set, opening with four consecutive points highlighted by a kill from Smith and a block by Moody and Jarvis.
After Averett cut the deficit to 5-2, Batten responded with three straight points to extend its advantage to 8-2. The Marlins continued to control the pace, using kills from Nolan and Smith alongside a Stever service ace to build a commanding 15-5 lead.
Batten maintained its double-digit advantage throughout the closing stages, with Moody, Nolan, and Vazquez contributing kills during a late four-point run that pushed the score to 23-9.
The Marlins secured the final two points to complete the sweep with a 25-10 victory in the third set, finishing the match in just over an hour.
