VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Senior middle blocker Courtney Berry (Charlottesville, Va./Western Albemarle) registered a single-match school record 13 blocks to rally the Washington and Lee volleyball team to a 3-2 victory at Virginia Wesleyan on Tuesday.
 
In the fifth, the Generals (11-0, 9-0 ODAC) trailed the Marlins (9-4, 7-2 ODAC) by one (8-7), but a kill by senior outside hitter Kiera Borthwick (Northville, Mich./Northville) tied the set, 8-8. A combination block from Berry and first-year outside hitter Sydney Heifner (Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall) pushed W&L in front, 9-8, and then a kill by Berry extended the lead to two (10-8).
 
Back-to-back attack errors by VWU stretched the lead to 12-8, and then a kill by Borthwick gave the Blue and White a five-point advantage, 13-8. Another combination block by Berry and Heifner allowed the Generals to serve for match point, and a kill by Borthwick, for W&L's eighth-straight point, secured the 15-8 set win and the 3-2 victory in the match.
 
The Generals lost the first two sets in the contest, 26-24 and 25-22, to go down 0-2. The Blue and White responded in the third, 25-20, and the fourth, 25-16, to force the deciding set.
 
Berry finished the night with nine solo blocks and four assisted blocks to total her 13. Along with the blocks, she also led the team with 15 kills to go with three aces and three assists. Berry broke the school record of 12 set by Virginia Yoerg '97 on October 12, 1996 against Gallaudet.  
 
Junior middle blocker Katy Blain (West Palm Beach, Fla./Benjamin School) notched 10 kills on a .444 hitting percentage. Defensively, Heifner, Borthwick and sophomore setter Ashley Webb (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake) each had a team-best 19 digs. Webb also added 42 assists, while Borthwick had eight kills and Heifner totaled seven.
 
Sophomore defensive specialist Caroline Gard (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) contributed 17 digs and five assists. Junior outside hitter Val Sokolow (Draper, Utah/Juan Diego Catholic) added nine kills and 10 digs.
 
First-year outside hitter Abigail Mahoney led the Marlins with 10 kills, while first-year outside hitter Nadia Scott notched 10 kills and 20 digs.
 
The 11-0 record is the best start to a season for the Blue and White since winning its first 13 matches during the 2011 campaign. 
 
The Generals return to action on Thursday, when they host Shenandoah at 7:00 pm.