The Virginia Wesleyan University women's volleyball (7-0, 1-0 ODAC) defeated Eastern Mennonite 3-0, winning 25-14, 25-14, and 25-12, for their first conference win of the 2024 season.
Hannah Smith led the offense with 12 kills, a .296 hitting percentage, nine digs, two service aces, one block assist, and one assist,
Madi Schmidt tallied eight kills, with a .286 hitting percentage, three digs, two service aces, and one block assist, and
Salena Jones led the team with 15 assists, 18 digs, and had one service ace.
The Marlins got off to a great start, jumping out to a 9-3 lead, but the Royals strung a 3-0 run together to bring the score to 9-6. VWU with a 7-2 run to extend their lead to 16-8. EMU responded with a 4-1 run to cut the Marlins lead to 18-13, but the Marlins countered with a 7-1 run to win the first set 25-14.
In the second set, the Royals scored the first two points, but the Marlins responded with a 5-1 run to lead 5-3. Eastern Mennonite rallied to outscore the Marlins 5-2 to take an 8-7 lead, but Virginia Wesleyan responded with a 12-2 run to take a commanding 19-10 lead. The Royals won three straight points before the Marlins went on a 6-1 run to win set two 25-14.
The Royals came out in the third set and built a 5-3 lead, but Virginia Wesleyan countered with a monster 10-2 run to lead 13-7. After EMU scored back-to-back points to end the Marlins run, the host kept their momentum and outscored EMU 12-3 to win the third set 25-12.
