The Virginia Wesleyan men's volleyball team (3-1, 1-0 ODAC) defeated the Green Knights of St. Norbert College on the second day of the VWU Invitational in a five set thriller.
Christian Harris led the Marlins with 21 points as he registered 18 kills, a .378 hitting percentage, one service ace, one solo block, two block assists, and 10 digs.
JaMarhe Wills tallied 16.5 points with 13 kills, two service aces, one solo block, one block assist, and 15 digs.
Carlyle Campbell totaled 16 points with 10 kills, a .316 hitting percentage, four solo blocks, four block assists, and one dig.
The Marlins had a strong start to the first set as they gained an early 3-1 lead, but the Green Knights fought back to tie the set at 4-4. The score remained extremely close with both teams going back and forth with the lead. The Green Knights went on a 3-0 scoring run to lead 21-19, but the Marlins won five of the next six points to earn a set point, leading 24-22. On their second set point, VWU sealed the first set victory 25-23.
The beginning of the second set was closely contested with both teams exchanging the lead multiple times until St. Norbert went on a 7-1 scoring run and gained a 16-12 edge. The Green Knights continued to control the set, finding a convincing 23-18 lead, but the Marlins responded with a 5-1 run to bring themselves within one point of St. Norbert. The Green Knights stopped the VWU comeback, winning the set 25-23 to tie the overall score 1-1.
VWU earned a 6-4 lead in the third set, but St. Norbert changed the momentum in their favor to find a 15-11 lead. The Marlins had a forceful comeback, winning the next six points in a row to go ahead 17-15. VWU earned two match points at 24-22, but the Green Knights delivered four straight points to win the set 26-24 and go up 2-1.
The Marlins surged ahead to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set, but St. Norberg responded with a 6-4 run to tie the score at 6-6. VWU won the next three points to lead 9-7, but the Green Knights came back once and gained an 11-10 lead. The Marlins responded with four points in a row to go up 14-11. St. Norbert brought themselves within one point of VWU at 15-14. The Marlins stretched their lead and won the set 25-21.
St. Norbert bounced back after the fourth set with a 4-1 lead. The Marlins managed to win four of the next five points, tying the score at 5-5, and led the Green Knights until the score was tied once again at 11-11. VWU went 4-1 for the remainder of the set to seal the 15-12 fifth set win.
