The Virginia Wesleyan University women's basketball team (23-1, 9-0 ODAC) swept Susquehanna, winning 25-9, 25-21, and 25-18.
The Marlins' offense was led by
Madi Schmidt, who had 12 kills, with a .523 hitting percentage, eight digs, three aces, and one block assist.
Breana Brooks had nine kills, with a .727 hitting percentage, one dig, and three block assists, and teammate
Hannah Smith had seven kills, eight digs, one block assist, and four aces.
Niya Nash quarterbacked the offense with 27 assists, one service ace, and one dig, and
Skylar Rivers led the team with 14 digs.
To begin the match, the Marlins jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the River Hawks were able to fight back and tie the set at 4-4. However, VWU rallied and went on a 6-1 run to lead 10-5. Virginia Wesleyan continued its offensive assault and went on an 8-1 run to lead 18-6. The Marlins continued their dominance and won the set 25-9.
The River Hawks came out in the second set and built a 4-1 lead, but the Marlins responded with an 11-3 run to take a 12-7 lead. The two teams traded points to bring the score to 16-11, until VWU went on a 6-2 run to take a 22-13 lead. Susquehanna had a late surge, outscoring the Marlins 8-3, but Virginia Wesleyan went on to win the set 25-21.
In the third set, Virginia Wesleyan came out hot, building a 5-1 lead. Susquehanna fought back with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 6-6. The Marlins countered with a 7-2 run to hold a 13-8 lead midway through the set. The River Hawks countered with a 4-1 run to bring the score to 14-12, but the Marlins responded with a 5-2 run to take a 19-14 lead, forcing a River Hawk timeout. After the timeout, VWU went on a 5-1 run to take a 25-15 lead, but Susquehanna went on a 3-0 run to cut the lead to 24-18. However, the Marlins went on to seal the win with a 25-18 score in the third set.
