ASHLAND, Va. – Sophomore Jarrett Carrano (Beaverdam, Va./Patrick Henry) had 23 kills, while freshman Cade Terrell (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) had 57 of his team's 62 assists, as the Randolph-Macon men's volleyball team opened its 2021 season with a pair of tightly-contested matches with Southern Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

The Basics

Location/Venue: Ashland, Va./Crenshaw Gym

Match 1 Score: Southern Virginia 3, Randolph-Macon 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-19)

• The Knights had the first two points in the opening set before a kill by Carrano gave the Yellow Jackets their first point. SVU built a 10-6 lead before a pair of points by R-MC cut the deficit in half. The Knights would score five of the next six points before a kill by sophomore Kolby Gibson (Bumpass, Va./Louisa) made it 15-10. SVU maintained its lead the rest of the way and registered a 25-18 victory.
• SVU jumped out to a quick 6-3 lead in the second set before consecutive points by R-MC made it a one-point contest. The Yellow Jackets would eventually take a 10-9 advantage. A kill by junior Lenny Sampson, Jr. (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) tied the set at 13-13 before the Knights tallied four straight points. R-MC trailed 19-17 before SVU scored five of the next six points to go up 24-18. Four straight points by the Yellow Jackets pulled them within two before the Knights notched the final point to win 25-22.
• Kills by senior Dayne Iverson (Pasco, Wash./Chiawana) and Gibson helped R-MC build an early 3-1 lead. Iverson and freshman Gio DeLuca (Glen Allen, Va./Glen Allen) combined on a block to give the home team a 12-11 edge before SVU put up four straight points to go ahead 15-12. The Yellow Jackets got the next two points to pull within one, but the Knights held the lead and won the set 25-19 to take the match 3-0.

Inside The Numbers

• Carrano paced the Yellow Jackets with eight kills and 22 total attacks. Gibson had five kills and 20 total attacks.
• Terrell had all 19 assists for R-MC.
• Iverson led the Yellow Jackets with three blocks.

Match 2 Score: Southern Virginia 3, Randolph-Macon 1 (29-27, 21-25, 25-22, 33-31)

• The teams stayed within a point of each other in Set 1 until consecutive points by the Yellow Jackets put them up 11-9. R-MC led 14-13 before five straight points put the Knights ahead 18-14. The Yellow Jackets fought back and took a 24-23 edge before two points by SVU gave them set point. A kill by DeLuca knotted it at 25-25. The Knights went up 26-25 before R-MC again leveled the score at 26-26. The visitors again went up one before a kill by Terrell tied it at 27-27. SVU had the final two points to take a 29-27 win.
• Kills by Iverson, Gibson and Carrano highlighted a 5-0 start for R-MC in the second set. The Yellow Jackets led 13-8 before the Knights recorded six of the next seven points to tie it at 14-14. A kill by Carrano capped an 8-2 spurt as R-MC went up 22-16. SVU pulled within two at 23-21 before a service error and a kill by DeLuca gave the Yellow Jackets a 25-21 victory.
• The teams stayed within a point of each other in Set 3 before the Knights went up 8-6. They would push the lead to four at 11-7 before a Gibson winner stopped the run. R-MC narrowed the gap to two at 13-11 before SVU registered five of the next six points to take an 18-12 advantage. Sophomore Sean Cunningham (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) and Carrano had kills and combined on a block to spark a 5-point run as the Yellow Jackets pulled within one at 18-17. Another Cunningham kill made it 19-18 before three straight points by SVU gave it a 22-18 advantage. R-MC fought back and pulled within one at 23-22 before the Knights netted the final two points for a 25-22 win and a 2-1 advantage.
• The fourth set also started tight, as the teams stayed with one point of each other until a three-point run gave SVU a 13-10 advantage. The Yellow Jackets would have four of the next five points to even the set at 14-14. Cunningham and junior Scotty Carter (Virginia Beach, Va./Frank W. Cox) combined on a block to give R-MC a 24-21 lead. The Knights fought back with three straight points to make it 24-24. R-MC had eight set points and SVU had three match points, converting the final one in a 33-31 win.

Inside The Numbers

• R-MC hit .367 in Set 1 and .393 in Set 4.
• Carrano had 15 kills and 33 total attacks, while Gibson added 10 kills and 25 attacks.
• Terrell had 38 of R-MC's 43 assists.
• Junior Connor Logan (Montpelier, Va./Patrick Henry) had nine digs, while Gibson added seven and sophomore Daniel Nguyen (Glen Allen, Va./Glen Allen) had six.
• Carrano, Cunningham and Iverson each had three block assists.

Up Next

R-MC will host Marymount on Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in Crenshaw Gym.