The No. 18 nationally ranked Batten University women's volleyball team completed a perfect day at TowneBank Arena, sweeping Benedictine 3-0 before earning a 3-1 victory over regional opponent Salisbury. The two wins improved the Marlins to 11-1 overall.
Game One:
Batten opened the day with a dominant performance against Benedictine, winning 25-15, 25-15 and 25-7. The Marlins hit .316 as a team while holding the Eagles to a .025 hitting percentage and finished the match with 13 service aces.
Hannah Smith and Anna Moody led the Batten attack with 11 kills apiece. Smith was especially efficient, hitting .526 with just one error on 19 attacks while adding two service aces. Niya Nash dished out a team-high 18 assists, while Brenna Raymond recorded 12 digs and two aces. Aajah Vazquez added three kills, three aces and five digs.
The Marlins took control immediately in the opening set, jumping out to a 6-0 advantage behind Nash's serve before cruising to a 25-15 win. Batten's offense found another gear in the second, recording 16 kills and hitting .367 to take another 25-15 decision.
Batten saved its most dominant stretch for the third set. With the Marlins ahead 11-5, Raymond helped spark an extended run from the service line that pushed the advantage to 20-5. Batten hit .429 in the frame and closed out the sweep with a commanding 25-7 victory.
Game Two:
The Marlins returned to the court later in the day for a regional matchup against Salisbury and came away with a 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 25-18 victory. Batten totaled 62 kills and hit .225 while also recording 92 digs and 10 team blocks.
Smith turned in a huge performance with a match-high 22 kills on a .370 hitting percentage while adding 20 digs for a double-double. Moody and Maddie Thompson each contributed 13 kills, while Vazquez added eight kills and seven block assists. Nash directed the offense with 37 assists and 15 digs, Laura Miller added 17 assists, and Raymond anchored the back row with a match-high 24 digs.
Batten had to battle from behind in the opening set after Salisbury built a 20-16 advantage. The Marlins responded with a 7-1 run, using four consecutive Salisbury attack errors to surge ahead 23-21. Smith delivered a kill to bring Batten to set point before Maelyn Thams finished the 25-22 comeback with a service ace.
The second set was another back-and-forth battle, with Batten again facing a late deficit at 20-17. The Marlins chipped away before Smith took over down the stretch, recording four kills over Batten's final six points. Moody finished the frame with a kill to give the Marlins a 25-23 win and a 2-0 match advantage.
Salisbury extended the match with a 25-20 victory in the third set, breaking away from a 20-20 tie by scoring the final five points.
Batten answered emphatically in the fourth. Leading 7-4, the Marlins rattled off five straight points behind Raymond's serve to build a 12-4 advantage. Salisbury later cut the margin to 14-11, but Batten maintained control and pulled away late. Moody delivered three kills during the closing stretch before Nash and Vazquez combined on the block that sealed the 25-18 victory and a perfect 2-0 day for the Marlins.
