Box Score ASHLAND, Va. – Randolph-Macon's seniors finished their final conference season with a win Wednesday night, securing an undefeated 2019 conference season and locking in a legacy of a nearly 98% win percentage in the conference. The Yellow Jackets swept Shenandoah to close out their conference slate.
The Basics
Score: Randolph-Macon 3, Shenandoah 0 (25-13, 25-8, 25-19)
Location/Venue: Ashland, Va./Crenshaw Gym
Records: Randolph-Macon (22-5, 12-0 ODAC), Shenandoah (8-18, 2-8 ODAC)
How It Happened
- Randolph-Macon really began to hit its stride late in the set. Shenandoah hung around early on, with the average R-MC lead sticking around four. But a 6-0 run for R-MC helped push the Yellow Jackets out in front by 11 and included kills from seniors Miranda Hall (Mechanicsville, Va. / Hanover), Bailey Jones (Suffolk, Va. / Norfolk Collegiate) and a service ace from sophomore Sydney Koch (Raleigh, N.C. / Sanderson). The Yellow Jackets closed the set out with a trio of kills, two from senior Kai Cunningham (Virginia Beach, Va. / Kempsville) and another by Hall as R-MC won 25-13.
- The Yellow Jackets got in front by a large amount early in the second set. A 11-1 run helped create an insurmountable advantage as R-MC cruised to victory 25-8. R-MC hit .474 in the frame and were led by Cunningham, senior Alexia Wolfe (Midlothian, Va. / James River), junior Kristina Smith (Virginia Beach, Va. / Cape Henry) and freshman Grace Parker (Andover, N.J. / Pope John XXIII), who each tallied two kills.
- Shenandoah earned its first significant lead of the contest in the third set. The Hornets were able to mount a four-point lead to 13-9, but R-MC wiped it away quickly with a 4-0 run, thanks to kills from Smith, sophomore Danielle LaRosa (Charlottesville, Va. / Albemarle) and freshman Gracyn Draney (Forest, Va. / Jefferson Forest). The teams continued to battle back-and-forth, with neither team earning a significant lead until R-MC launched a 5-0 rally that gave the Yellow Jackets a 22-18 advantage. R-MC closed the set out with kills from LaRosa and Parker and a service ace from Hall, earning the 25-19 win.
Inside The Numbers
- Hall led the Yellow Jackets with seven kills. Smith, Parker and Draney each added five, while Jones and Cunningham finished with four kills each.
- Senior Emily Steffan (Salem, Va. / Salem) led the Yellow Jackets in assists, earning 18. Fellow senior Angela Tender (Manassas, Va. / Stone Bridge) added nine.
- Four Yellow Jackets recorded a service ace: Parker, Hall, Koch and junior Mackenzie Loewe (Leonardtown, Md. / St. Mary's Ryken).
- Loewe led R-MC with eight digs, while Smith added seven.
- LaRosa, Jones and Koch each had three blocks.
Randolph-Macon Remains Ranked Third
The NCAA Regional Rankings were released this afternoon for games through Oct. 29. R-MC remained ranked third in the South Region in the latest rankings. R-MC is behind reigning national champions and weekend hosts Emory as well as upcoming foe Berry, but ahead of weekend opponent Birmingham-Southern and fellow ODAC members Washington & Lee and Virginia Wesleyan.
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1
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Emory
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23-2
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2
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Berry
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21-4
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3
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Randolph-Macon
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21-5
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4
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Birmingham-Southern
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19-5
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5
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Washington & Lee
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22-6
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6
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Hendrix
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16-6
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7
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Sewanee (Univ. of the South)
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16-9
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8
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Virginia Wesleyan
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21-7
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Up Next
As mentioned above, Emory is hosting its annual Emory National Invitational this weekend in Atlanta. R-MC will travel to the tournament and kick it off by facing Wittenberg, which is ranked sixth in the Great Lakes region. That match begins at 1:30 PM on Friday. R-MC rounds out its regular season on Saturday with matches against fellow South regionally-ranked programs Berry and Birmingham-Southern at 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM respectively.
