VIRGINIA BEACH -- Virginia Wesleyan College's volleyball Marlins are in a position totally new to them. 

For the first time in the program's brief 12-year history, the Marlins are tied for the top spot in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) standings heading into the final weeks of competition.

Making matters more interesting is the fact that VWC has the opportunity to break that tie on the home court on Wednesday, Oct. 22, when the Marlins host the other team in the tie, the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon College.  Competition for the No. 1 spot begins at 7 p.m.

A 3-1 VWC victory over Shenandoah University on Saturday, coupled with R-MC's 3-2 loss to Washington and Lee University, produced the current tie.  Both teams are now 8-1 in the league, with Washington and Lee at 7-2 and Lynchburg College, Randolph College, and Roanoke College all with three league losses each.

Alot can happen in the scramble for the final No. 1 spot, but for now the Marlins will enjoy a 3-0 week that includes the program's first win over Washington and Lee and Saturday's Senior Day win over Shenandoah. 

Shenandoah's Hornets were ready to play when they took the court at the Jane P. Batten Student Center and battled the Marlins on even terms in one of the most thrilling sets in program history.  Shenandoah outlasted the Marlins 35-33 in the set, which included 22 ties and 10 lead changes.  It was the longest set in VWC history since scoring was changed to a 25-point game in 2008.  Prior to that, the 2004 VWC team battled to a 35-33 win over Messiah College when teams played to 30 for the win.

VWC recovered to take control in the second set and post a 25-20 win, and followed that with 25-14 and 25-16 decisions to take the match win that gave the Marlins their fourth 20-win season, all under the guidance of head coach Andrea Hoover.

Competition in the second set followed the back-and-forth pattern until kills by rookie Ashley Bologna (Virginia Beach/Floyd E. Kellam) and sophomore Tiffany Barrett (Stafford/North Stafford) gave the Marlins a lead they refused to give up. Shenandoah stayed close, helped by the play of Blake Parkes (Winchester/Millbrook) and Allie Pieper (Stephens City/Shenandoah Valley Christian), but could never jump in front.

VWC rode the momentum of the set win into a 4-0 lead in the third set and never trailed. A kill by Rachel Roberts (Leesburg/Loudoun County) pulled the Hornets with a 14-11 score before consecutive kills by Alex Lambert (Alexandria/Hayfield), Bologna, Kirstin Sessoms (Virginia Beach/Bayside), and Barrett catapulted VWC into an 18-11 lead. Shenandoah never got closer than five points in the remainder of the set.

Back-to-back kills by Bologna in the early going helped VWC establish control in the fourth set and the Marlins consistently added to their lead, which extended to 18-9 after a Lambert kill and Barrett ace.

Barrett finished with a match-high 16 kills, while Lambert added 12, and Bologna recorded a season-high 10. Barrett also recorded 22 digs, while Sessoms added 19, and Marin Crowder (Charlottesville/Crozet Western Albermarle) posted 17.  Sessoms produced 35 assists and Barrett finished with five aces.

Pieper and Roberts emerged with nine kills each for Shenandoah, which also received seven from Elizabeth Lamont (South Riding/Freedom). Brandi Griffith (Winchester/James Wood) and Lamont helped the Hornets with 20 digs each. 

--AMDG--