The Virginia Wesleyan University men's volleyball team (3-1, 1-0 ODAC) Split games on Day Two of the Marlins Invitational. They defeated Wilkes, winning 25-17, 25-12, 22-25, and 25-18 and losing 23-25, 22-25, and 14-25 in game two against Wisc.-Lutheran.
Game One:
The Marlins' offense was led by
JaMarhe Wills, who had 21 kills with a .378 hitting percentage, 10 digs, three service aces, one solo block, and one block assist.
Grant Younie tallied 13 kills with a monster .667 hitting percentage, 10 digs, one assist, and one service ace.
Siah Hall had six kills, 12 digs, one service ace, one solo block, and one block assist, and teammate
Ajaye Davis quarterbacked the offense with 47 assists, had two kills, and three digs.
Wilkes started the game on a 3-0 run, but the Marlins responded with a 10-2 run to take a 10-5 lead in the first set. Each team scored two points to bring the score to 13-7, but the Marlins rallied, going on a 7-2 run to take a 20-9 lead. However, the Colonels countered with a 6-2 run to cut the lead to 22-15, but the Marlins outscored the visitors 3-2 to win set one 25-17.
Virginia Wesleyan jumped out to a 7-2 lead to start the second set. Wilkes scored the next two points to cut the lead to 7-4, but VWU responded with a 12-2 run to hold a 19-6 lead. The Colonel stopped the Marlins' run with a 5-2 run to cut the lead to 21-11, but the Marlins finished the set on a 4-1 run to win 25-12.
In the third set, Wilkes jumped out to a 10-6 lead early in the set, but the Marlins followed that run with a 5-0 run to take an 11-10 lead. The two teams traded points to bring the score to 18-17 with Wilkes leading. Then, the Colonels went on a 5-2 run to extend their lead to 23-19. Wilkes fought hard and went on to win the third set 25-22.
The Marlins came out hot in the fourth set, building a 7-2 lead early. However, the Colenels responded with a 5-1 run to cut the lead to 8-7. VWU countered with an 8-3 run to increase their lead to 16-10. The two teams traded points to bring the score to 22-17, then Virginia Wesleyan went on a 3-1 run to seal the win with a fourth set win of 25-18.
Game Two:
JaMarhe Wills led the offense with 10 kills, two assists, five digs,and two block assists.
James Cromwell-Young had five kills and one solo block, and teammate
Siah Hall had six kills and three digs.
A highly competitive first set saw the Marlins hold an early 6-4 lead, but the Warriors responded with a 3-1 run to cut the lead to 9-8. Virginia Wesleyan countered, outscoring Wisc.-Lutheran 10-7 to hold a 19-15 lead. However, the Warriors turned up the pressure and went on a 10-4 run to win set one 25-23.
The Warriors kept their momentum from set one and jumped out to an 8-2 lead to start set two. However, the Marlins chipped away at the visitors' lead with a 7-4 run to cut the lead to 12-9. Then, VWU rallied, going on a 5-0 run to take a 14-13 lead midway through the second set. The Warriors stopped the Marlins' run with a 5-3 run to take an 18-17 lead, but Virginia Wesleyan responded with a 3-0 run to lead 20-18. The Warriors battled back and outscored the Marlins 7-2 to win set two 25-22.
In the third set, the Marlins scored the first two points, but the Warriors went on a 6-1 run to take a 6-3 lead early in the set. Wisc.-Lutheran continued their good run of play and outscored the Marlins 7-6 to hold a 13-9 lead. The Warriors kept up the pressure and went on a 9-2 run to increase their lead to 22-11 and went on to win set three 25-14.
