NORFOLK, Va. – The second-seeded Virginia Wesleyan College Volleyball Team (24-9) picked up a 3-1 (25-16, 18-25, 25-20, 26-24) win over #6 Emory & Henry College (18-12) to advance to the semifinals of the 2014 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament Wednesday afternoon at The Batten Center.

The first set went back and forth in the early goings to a 12-all tie. Virginia Wesleyan then went up 16-12 thanks to four straight points and went on to lead 24-15 before taking the set, 25-16. Emory & Henry bounced back in the second frame to tie the match 1-1. Up 7-6, the Wasps scored three-straight points to take a 10-6 lead. E&H was able to slowly build its advantage thanks to several two-for-one tradeoffs with VWC and took the set by a 25-18 score.

Set three resembled the first as the score was close early on to a 12-12 tie. Emory & Henry scored two points to take a 14-12 lead but Virginia Wesleyan scored 10 of the next 15 points to go up 22-17. The final six points were side outs, with the serve flipping between both teams as the Marlins pulled out a 25-20 win.

In the fourth stanza, Emory & Henry was able to keep things close, fighting off a strong run by Virginia Wesleyan midway through the set. Down 22-20, the Wasps evened the score at 22 and led by the slimmest of margins, 24-23, late. With a fifth and deciding frame looming, the Marlins scored the final three points of the contest to win, 26-24, and advance to the ODAC Tournament Semifinals.

Michaela Holbrooks poseted a .344 hitting percentage for Virginia Wesleyan as she notched 13 kills while Tiffany Barrett added 10 kills and 16 digs. Kirstin Sessoms dished out 35 assists and added 15 digs while Emilee Pierson had 12 digs. Rosalind Ludovici notched nine kills and had two blocks for the Marlins.

The Wasps were led offensively by sophomore right side hitter Hannah Doss (Meadowview, Va.) with 12 kills, hitting a team-best .242 (12-3-33). Sophomore outside hitter Tristen Pennington (Kingsport, Tenn.) had a double-double with 10 kills and 19 digs while freshman outside hitter Ali Singleton (Mount Jackson, Va.) added 10 kills of her own. Sophomore middle Kennady Thomason (Chattanooga, Tenn.) notched eight kills and three blocks while senior setter Maleah Neely (Hillsville, Va.) had 41 assists and 15 digs to complete the double-double. Sophomore libero Emily Hinshaw (Boone, N.C.) registered a team-high 22 digs.

Virginia Wesleyan hit .126 (47-25-174) for the match compared to .113 (46-26-177) for E&H. The Marlins had six blocks and eight service aces while the Wasps tallied three blocks and one ace.

Emory & Henry will now await the announcement of the All-ODAC teams, which will be released after the conclusion of the conference tournament.

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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15