VIRGINIA BEACH -- Virginia Wesleyan College head coach Andrea Hoover delivered a heated message to her team during a timeout late in the third game of Tuesday's volleyball match with Bridgewater College and it was answered.

Rookie Tempe Martens (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) (left) came out of the break to rip a fire ball of a hit that gave the Marlins a two-point lead and an advantage that held up the rest of the way in a 25-21 match-deciding win over the Eagles.

Bridgewater (9-9, 1-3) managed to stay close on points via VWC errors, but another strong kill by sophomore Kala Guy (Fishersville, Va./Wilson Memorial) and a set-ending ace by junior Erin Paton (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) helped carry Virginia Wesleyan to an impressive 3-0 win. 

The Marlins opened with a 25-19 decision in the first set and followed it with a 25-19 win in the second set, before capping the overall victory with a 25-21 decision.  It marked the first time in the young volleyball series between the colleges that VWC has posted a 3-0 win over the Eagles.  It was also Virginia Wesleyan's second victory in the last three meetings with BC.

Tuesday's victory improves the Marlins' record to 12-3 overall and to 4-0 in the ODAC, giving VWC it's first-ever 4-0 start in league play. The ODAC's other two teams undefeated in league play, Washington & Lee University and Lynchburg College, collide Wednesday, Sept. 29, at Lynchburg.  The Marlins will see Washington & Lee in Virginia Beach, in VWC's next match, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 2, at 11 a.m.

The match set up a friendly confrontation between sisters in Bridgewater senior Candice Guy (Fishersville, Va./Wilson Memorial) and VWC's sophomore Kala Guy.  The sisters contributed points throughout the match for their respective teams, but VWC's supporting cast came through when needed.

One of those times was in the first set when 6-foot-1 junior Katie Baker (Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) came through at the net to help pull BC with an 11-10 score.  That was as close as it would get as VWC senior Lindsey Spears (Virginia Beach/Ocean Lakes)answered with back-to-back kills that forced a Bridgewater timeout. 

Marlin rookie Alex Kirk (Concord, N.C./Jay M. Robinson), senior Marissa Wood (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge), Martens and Guy all emerged with big plays after the break to help VWC open a 23-16 lead en route to the set win.

Sophomore Mara Hogan (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby), Beth Soles (North, Va./Mathews) and Baker sparked Bridgewater to a 5-1 lead in the second set, but it did not hold up.  Kirk dominated played during a stretch for VWC, helping turn the deficit into an 11-7 lead that forced another Eagles timeout.  BC pulled within two after that, but sophomore Taylor Allen (Bowie, Md./Elizabeth Seton) and Spears helped Virginia Wesleyan regain momentum and open up a six-point lead late in the set. 

Set three saw Bridgewater lead through the early going, the last time at 14-13 on a Soles kill, but Guy answered with a kill to tie it for the Marlins who held the upper hand the rest of the way.  A Paton ace and a block by Spears and Allen helped VWC open up a 20-17 lead.  But, several errors and a Soles kills pulled BC within a 21-20 score when Hoover called for the timeout that returned momentum to the Marlins.

Guy finished with a team-leading 12 kills for the Marlins, while Spears, Kirk and Martens added six each.  The Marlins helped themselves with their best effort at the net this season, recording 18 block assists, tying the third highest total in program history.  Spears and Allen led that effort with five each and Kirk finished with three. 

--AMDG--