Box Score Virginia Beach, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg women's volleyball team dropped a hard-fought five-set match to No. 22 Virginia Wesleyan, 3-2.

The Hornets (15-2) suffer their first loss in nearly a month, Sept. 6 vs. Springfield, snapping an eight game win streak. Meanwhile, the Marlins (17-0) seize clear control of the top stop in the ODAC as the only unbeaten team in conference play (4-0) at the moment. 

The opening set of the match set the tone right away. The two sides traded swings back and forth, tallying five ties and four lead changes. Jacqueline Bryant tabbed four kills and one ace in the first frame to lead the Lynchburg offensive attack. With the score knotted at 23, Bryant and Hornets finished strong with a 3-1 run that gave Lynchburg the lead.

The Marlins responded emphatically in the second frame, opening up with a dominant 14-3 lead with eight kills and three aces. Lynchburg mounted a rally late in the set, but ultimately fell short, 25-17.

Lynchburg reclaimed the advantage in the third behind a strong offensive performance from Tori Williamson, who finished with a team-leading 12 kills, and crucial play on the interior from Leah DiNardo, who tallied three of her four blocks during the set. The Hornets narrowly pulled away 25-23. 

In the fourth, what began as a tightly context set once again, quickly turning into another dominant Marlin victory midway through. After a 12-8 Hornet advantage, Virginia Wesleyan put together a 13-2 run, with nine Lynchburg errors, to take control and force a fifth frame. The Marlins closed out the match with a strong offense performance, an eye popping seven kills and one error on 15 total attacks pushed Virginia Wesleyan to a 15-6 win.

Lynchburg returns home for a three game home stint, starting on Saturday, Oct. 4, for Senior Day against Shenandoah at 11 a.m. 

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--LYN--