The No. 18 nationally ranked Batten University women's volleyball team opened Old Dominion Athletic Conference play with a commanding 3-0 victory over Shenandoah University on Wednesday night inside TowneBank Arena. The Marlins defeated the Hornets 25-14, 25-21, and 25-17 to improve to 8-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Smith finished with five kills, 12 digs, two service aces and two block assists, while Thams recorded six kills, 14 digs and a pair of aces. Baker contributed five kills without an attack error and was involved in five blocks, including one solo. Nash and
Laura Miller directed the offense with 12 assists apiece, while Raymond anchored the back row with 10 digs and added four assists.
The No. 18 nationally ranked Batten University women's volleyball team opened Old Dominion Athletic Conference play with a commanding 3-0 victory over Shenandoah University on Wednesday night inside TowneBank Arena. The Marlins defeated the Hornets 25-14, 25-21, and 25-17 to improve to 8-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Batten controlled the match defensively, holding Shenandoah to a -.094 hitting percentage with just 17 kills against 25 attack errors. The Marlins totaled 33 kills, seven service aces and eight team blocks in the three-set victory. Anna Moody led the attack with eight kills, while Maelyn Thams added six. Hannah Smith, Ava Baker and Aajah Vazquez each recorded five kills.
The Marlins jumped on the Hornets immediately in the opening set, building a 6-1 advantage behind a strong defensive start at the net. Batten continued to pull away and stretched its lead to 18-8 following a service ace from Brenna Raymond. The Marlins later pushed the advantage to 23-10 before Thams closed out the opening frame with a kill for a 25-14 win.
Shenandoah provided its toughest challenge in the second set. After Batten built a 9-5 advantage, the Hornets battled back and eventually tied the frame at 21-21. The Marlins responded when Vazquez delivered back-to-back kills to restore the lead at 23-21. Thams followed with a service ace before Smith and Vazquez combined for a block to finish a 4-0 run and give Batten the 25-21 victory.
Batten wasted little time establishing control of the third set, racing out to an 8-1 lead behind kills from Baker and Moody and service aces from Niya Nash and Smith. The Marlins later turned a 13-8 advantage into a commanding 20-8 lead with a 7-0 run highlighted by kills from Abbey Samples and Smith. Shenandoah cut into the deficit late, but Moody delivered the match-clinching kill to seal the 25-17 win and the straight-set sweep.
