Volleyball Drops Tough Bout at #24 Mary Washington

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The Virginia Wesleyan College volleyball team battled through four matches Wednesday night before falling to No. 24 Mary Washington 25-10, 25-27, 25-10, 27-25 in non-conference action.

Mary Washington committed just three errors in the first set to run out to a 25-10 first-set victory.

The Marlins jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead in the second set on a kill by Doneisha Hall before the Eagles rallied to cut into the lead.

Leading 12-11, Virginia Wesleyan pulled back ahead 15-11 on kills by Kristina Scott and Tiffany Barrett and a service ace by Emilee Pierson. The Marlins maintained that lead until late in the set when the Eagles rallied from a 23-20 deficit to tie the contest.

A kill by Emma Olson and two Marlin attack errors put the score at 23-all, setting the stage for either a Marlin set victory or a tough two-set hole on the road at Mary Washington.

The two squads traded points to make it 25-25 when a Lauren Topper kill put the Marlins at set point. Amber Matalus stepped up to the line and posted a service ace to win the set.

Mary Washington hit an impressive .519 on 15 kills to roll to a 25-10 fourth set victory.

The fourth set was similar to the second as Dare Wright posted a kill to even the match at 25-all, but kills from Savannah Powers and Olson clinched the win for the Eagles.

Leslie Walters had 13 kills on a .423 hitting percentage to lead No. 24 Mary Washington (6-0). Olson contributed 40 assists and 14 digs, while Jenna Yost paced the squad with 16 digs.

Barrett finished with 11 kills for Virginia Wesleyan while Pierson tallied 20 assists and 13 digs. Allison Mackley led the Marlins with 16 digs as Meghan Wood finished with 12 assists in her first varsity contest.

Virginia Wesleyan (2-3) travels to the Sea Gull Classic this weekend for four matches, starting with a contest with Marywood Friday at 6 p.m.