ASHLAND, Va. -- A net proved to be an untimely obstacle in Virginia Wesleyan College's attempt to earn a place in the 2014 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship volleyball match on Saturday at Randolph-Macon College.

After four thrilling sets with the two-time defending champion Washington and Lee University Generals, the Marlins trailed 14-12 in the fifth and deciding set.  A serve by the Generals hit the top of the net, but instead of seeing the ball bounce back and in favor of VWC, it skimmed the top of the net just enough to drop off and out of the Marlins' reach on the other side. 

It was a blooper serve that ended an intense battle that produced nine tied scores before the Generals moved in front by two points late in the set, coming back from a two-point VWC lead in the middle of the set.  The 15-12 win capped the overall victory for Washington and Lee (26-6), which posted back-to-back 25-22 wins between 25-18 and 25-21 set decisions by Virginia Wesleyan (24-10).

Junior Kirstin Sessoms (Virginia Beach/Bayside), who recorded a tournament-high 49 assists against the Generals, was named to the all-tournament team for VWC.  She also recorded nine digs in a total of 63 by the Marlins, who were led by junior Marin Crowder (Charlottesville/Crozet Western Albemarle) with 18 and sophomore Tiffany Barrett (Stafford/North Stafford) with 14.

Stafford and senior Michaela Holbrooks (Brookneal/Naruna William Campbell) continued their standout play at the net, leading VWC with 16 and 14 kills, respectively.  The totals reflected the 21st double-figure match for Stafford and a career-high for Holbrooks, who broke the career-high she tied in the ODAC quarterfinals against Emory & Henry College.

Kasey Cannon (North Wales, Pa./Mt. St. Joseph Academy) shared match-high kills honors with Stafford with 16. Anna Lausberg (Ocoee, Fl./Orlando Bishop Mooore) added 13 kills for the Generals.

Virginia Wesleyan, which set a program record for wins this season, took control of the first set with a 7-2 run that opened up a 20-13 lead. Senior Alex Lambert (Alexandria/Hayfield) and Holbrooks both had kills in the run for VWC, which included aces by rookie Emilee Pierson (Sterling/Park View) and Sessoms.

Washington and Lee, which entered the match ranked No. 3 in the NCAA's South Region rankings, used kills by Jenna Gustafson (San Diego, Calif./Francis Parker School), Mackenzie Shand (Saline, Mich./Saline), and Cannon to open up a 17-9 lead in the second set.  But, the Generals could not hold onto it as a combination of service errors and key points by VWC tied the match at 20-all. Two straight VWC errors gave the advantage to Washington and Lee and this time the Generals came up with the points needed to win the set.

It was a similar scenario for Washington and Lee in the third set as the Generals could not make a lead stick. After trailing by as many as five points late in the set, Virginia Wesleyan came back to tie it at 22-all, aided by timely kills from Barrett and Holbrooks. A kill by Cannon broke the tie for the Generals, who posted the win following consecutive Marlin errors.

Back-to-back Barrett kills helped VWC open up a 4-0 lead in the fourth set, before Washington and Lee closed the gap. The Generals led only once in the set, at 7-6, but stayed within takeover range and tied the score at 19. A service error gave VWC a 20-19 lead and the Marlins extended it with a Pierson ace and three straight Holbrooks kills, opening up a 24-19 lead that carried VWC to the set win and forced a fifth and deciding set.

After a brief rest following the hard-fought win over Virginia Wesleyan, Washington and Lee went on to face Lynchburg College's Hornets in the title match.  Lynchburg posted a big upset in its semfinal match, knocking off the top-seeded Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets on their home court, 3-1.  But, Lynchburg could not keep the momentum rolling as Washington and Lee recorded a third straight ODAC championship with a 3-1 victory.

--AMDG--