ASHLAND, Va. – Randolph-Macon Men's Volleyball hung close with the eighth-ranked team in the country; but it was the visiting Top 15 squad and conference foe Rutgers-Newark that earned the victory Friday night.

The Basics

Score: #8 Rutgers-Newark 3, Randolph-Macon 0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-14)

Location/Venue: Ashland, Va./Crenshaw Gym

Records: #8 Rutgers-Newark (7-0, 1-0 CVC), Randolph-Macon (3-9, 1-2 CVC)

How It Happened

• The Yellow Jackets stepped up when faced with its second ranked opponent in as many weeks. The Yellow Jackets matched the Scarlet Raiders nearly point-for-point over the first ten points of the match. R-MC earned a 3-1 run to help put it ahead by two as freshman James Manning (Glen Allen, Va. / Glen Allen) earned a service ace to put R-MC up 9-7. The Scarlet Raiders responded with a 3-0 run of to grab the lead, followed by a R-MC 3-0 run of its own to retake the advantage. The Scarlet Raiders got ties at 14-14 and 16-16 before taking another advantage, but R-MC responded from there, tying the set at 17-17 and 18-18. Rutgers-Newark launched a 5-2 run late that put it within striking distance of set point. The Yellow Jackets completed the push-and-pull of the set with a 3-0 run that tied the set at 23, but the Scarlet Raiders earned the final two points to win 25-23.
• Rutgers-Newark would not allow a similar fate in the second set. The Scarlet Raiders allowed just three points to R-MC over the first 11 of the set. That forced an R-MC timeout, which gave way to a 5-1 run by the Yellow Jackets that put R-MC within one. Randolph-Macon continued its push and eventually forced a tie at 12-all. A 6-3 run for the Scarlet Raiders allowed the visitors to gain a three-point advantage, but R-MC's 3-0 run tied the set back up at 18-18. The Yellow Jackets continued to battle to a 21-21 tie, but a 4-1 run allowed Rutgers-Newark to claim the second set.
• With a 2-0 set advantage, Rutgers-Newark was able to push out in front early in the third set. Again, R-MC scored just three times over the first 11 points and Rutgers-Newark followed that with a 6-1 run to take a ten-point lead. The Yellow Jackets struggled to put together more than two points in a row and the Scarlet Raiders were able to win 25-14, taking the match in the process.

Inside The Numbers

• Freshman Kolby Gibson (Bumpass, Va. / Louisa) led the Yellow Jackets with seven kills. Senior Lee Olenyik (Mechanicsville, Va. / Hanover) and freshman Sean Cunningham (Virginia Beach, Va.) each added four.
• Manning finished with a team-high 13 assists and two service aces.
• Freshman Jareett Carrano (Beaverdam, Va. / Patrick Henry) had five digs, with Manning and Gibson each adding three.
• Cunningham had three blocks to lead the team. Gibson and Manning each had two as well. 

Up Next

The Yellow Jackets will turn around and face Kean tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM. The match will take place in Alumni Gym.