The Virginia Wesleyan University women's volleyball (14-0, 3-0 ODAC) defeated conference opponent Averett 3-1, winning 25-19, 25-19, 18-25, and 25-17.
Hannah Smith led the offense as she had 13 kills, five service aces, one block assist, and led the team with 14 digs,
Breana Brooks tallied 13 kills, with a .375 hitting percentage, one solo block, and one dig, and
Alexis Shaw registered 12 kills, with a .360 hitting percentage, and one dig.
Niya Nash recorded a team-high 45 assists, one service ace, and nine digs, and teammate
Skylar Rivers had 13 digs, four assists, and two service aces.
The Marlins scored the first two points, but the Cougars countered with a 4-1 run to lead 4-3. VWU went on to outscore Averett 7-3 to take a 10-7 lead. The host countered with a 4-0 run to regain the lead at 11-10, but Virginia Wesleyan countered with a 4-1 run to lead 14-12. Averett scored three straight points to lead 15-14. However, the Marlins rallied with a monster 11-4 run to win the first set 25-19.
Virginia Wesleyan came out hot in the second set jumping out to an 8-1 lead. The Cougars responded with a 5-1 run to bring the score to 9-6. VWU went on a 5-2 run to increase their lead to 14-8, but Averett responded with a 6-1 run to cut the lead to 15-14. The Marlins finished strong again going on a 10-5 run to win the second set 25-19.
The Cougars offense stepped up in the third set as they built a 6-2 lead, but VWU rallied to tie the set at 6-6. Averett kept up their good run of play and jumped out to a 20-11 lead midway through the set. The Marlins pushed with a 7-2 run to bring the score to 22-18, but the Cougars scored the next three points to win set three 25-18.
In the fourth set, the host jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but Virginia Wesleyan went on a 6-0 run to take a 6-4 lead. The Cougars responded with a 6-2 rally to lead 10-8, but VWU countered with an 11-3 run to lead 19-13 midway through the set. Averett surged with a 4-1 run to bring the score to 21-17. However, the Marlins offense scored the next four points to seal the 25-17 win in set four.
