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James Hill

Marlins Start Their 2026 Campaign with Sweeps Over William Peace and Millikin

9/4/2026 9:45:00 PM

The Batten University women's volleyball team (2-0) defeated William Peace 25-12, 25-17, and 25-14, and Millikin 3-0, winning 25-14, 25-17, and 25-22.

Game One:
Hannah Smith led the team with 10 kills, a .381 hitting percentage, two service aces, one block assist, and nine digs. Aajah Vazuez registered eight kills with a .636 hitting percentage, two solo blocks, two block assists, and one dig and teammate Maelyn Thams had seven kills, with a .300 hitting percentage, one assist, one block assist, and one two digs.

Niya Nash led the team with 20 assists, six service aces, and two digs while libero Brenna Raymond led the team with 11 digs and had four assists.

The Marlins started the contest hot, building up a 13-2 lead early in the set. The two teams traded points with the Pacers gaining some momentum to bring the score to 17-9, but the Malrins went on an 8-3 run to win the first set 25-12.

William Peace jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second set, but the Marlins kicked it into gear and went on a 9-2 run to take a 9-4 lead. The two teams traded points to bring the score to 12-9, but the Marlins got back momentum and extended their lead to 18-12. Batten outscored William Peace 6-5 down the stretch to win set two 25-17.

In the third set, the Marlins went on a torrid 9-0 run fueled by excellent service from setter Niya Nash. After a couple rallies, the Marlins found themselves up 12-5, and went on another impressive 7-1 run to win 19-6. Batten went on to win the set 25-12.

Game Two:
Hannah Smith led the team with 17 kills, with a .400 hitting percentage, two aces, and six digs. Elizabeth York recorded nine kills, with a .438 hitting percentage, one block assist, and four digs, and teammate Maelyn Thams had nine kills with two aces, and three digs.

Niya Nash led the team with 22 assists, with one ace and seven digs, and libero Brenna Raymond had 15 digs, and six assists.

Batten started off strong jumping out to a 7-2 lead, but Millikin responded with a 4-1 run to cut the Marlins' lead to 8-6. The Marlins countered with an 8-1 run to extend their lead to 16-7, then the two teams traded points with the Marlins outscoring Millikin 4-3 to bring the score to 20-10. Millikin responded with a 4-1 run to cut the host's lead to 21-14, however, the Marlins went on to win the set 25-14.

In the second set, the Marlins started off hot again building a 6-2 run to start the set. The Big Blue bounced back and kept up with the Marlins as each team scored nine points to bring the score to 15-11 midway through the set. Out of the technical timeout, Batten rallied with a 5-2 run to force a Big Blue timeout with the score at 20-13. The Marlins outscored Millikin 5-4 to win set two 25-17.

In the third set, it was a much tighter start as neither team gained an advantage early with the score sitting at 10-10. The Marlins gained momentum as they went on a 4-1 run to lead 14-11, but the Big Blue kept pushing and with a 6-3 run tied the set at 17-17. The visitors continued their good run of play with a 2-1 run to take a 19-18 lead, but Batten rallied and went on a 7-3 run to win set three 25-22.
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