The Virginia Wesleyan men's volleyball team (16-8, 7-3 ODAC) defeated conference opponent, Eastern Mennonite University in four sets.
Christian Harris led the Marlins with 22 points as he tallied 21 kills, two block assists, and six digs.
Landon Brinkley was also key to the win with 16.5 points as he recorded 15 kills, three block assists, and eight digs.
EMU took an early 4-1 lead, but the Marlins outscored the Royals 3-4 to bring the score to 7-5. The Royals stretched their lead with a 7-2 run to gain a 14-7 lead. EMU maintained their advantage, leading 23-15; but the Marlins went on a 4-0 run to minimize the deficit to four points. Despite the late surge from VWU, EMU closed out the first set 25-19.
The Marlins responded with a strong start to the second set as they led the Royals 9-4. EMU won two of the next three points to bring the score to 10-6 for VWU, but the Marlins continued to dominate and extended their lead to 17-10. EMU responded with a 5-1 run to diminish the gap to 18-15, but VWU continued to outplay them and won the set 25-19 to level the overall score at 1-1.
The third set was closely matched from the start with five ties through the 10-10 mark. The Marlins created their first scoring run of the set, going 6-0 to make the score 19-13 for the Marlins, but EMU fought back with a 3-1 run to bring themselves within four points of VWU. The Marlins won four of the next five points to earn set points at 24-17. After EMU saved three set points, the Marlins closed the set 25-20.
EMU began the fourth set with a 5-2 lead, but the Marlins won three of the next four points to minimize their lead to 5-4. Then EMU went on a 6-2 run to lead 11-6, but VWU responded with a 7-3 run to once again inch just one point away from EMU at 14-13. The Marlins continued to pressure the Royals, tying the score at 17-17. The score remained close through the end, but the Marlins emerged victorious 27-25.
Next, the Marlins will travel to Randolph-Macon College on Wednesday, April 2, for an ODAC game at 7 p.m.
