(ASHLAND, Va.) – The Randolph-Macon men's volleyball team swept the season series with Eastern Mennonite after a pair of wins Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets needed five sets to 3-2 in the opener, but made quick work of the hosts in the second match with a 3-0 shutout.

The Basics:

Score

Match 1: Randolph-Macon 3, Eastern Mennonite 2 (25-13, 21-25, 16-25, 25-12, 15-8)
Match 2: Randolph-Macon 3, Eastern Mennonite 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-23)

Venue: Yoder Arena

Records: Randolph-Macon 3-3, 3-3 CVC; Eastern Mennonite 0-7, 0-6 ODAC

How It Happened (Match 1):

• The Jackets opened up the match with a dominant showing. The Royals were never close after it was 8-6 as R-MC started to push its lead. A kill by Sean Cunningham (So., Virginia Beach, Va. / Kempsville) was followed by two aces by him to make the score 11-6 and started a 10-2 rally.
• The second set appear to be more of the same for the Jackets as they jumped out to a 7-1 lead. The Royals kept chipping away and eventually tied the set at 17-all after an ace, and eventually took the lead during that 11-3 rally.
• The third game was the opposite as the Royals jumped out to an early 7-2 lead. EMU kept control throughout to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
• Needing the fourth set, the Jackets returned to their dominant form of the first game and won by 13, the largest margin of the night. Errors plagued the Royals in the frame as they hit -.455.
• The fifth looked familiar once again as R-MC jumped out in front early. They scored five of the last six points to take the set and were never really threatened.

Inside the Numbers (Match 1):

• Jarrett Carrano (So., Beaverdam, Va. / Patrick Henry) reached double digits in kills with 10. He also dug up six balls in the win. Cunningham was one kill back.
• Leading the team in digs was Kolby Gibson (So., Bumpass, Va. / Louisa) with 10.
• Assisting the attack was Cade Terrell (Fr., Glen Allen, Va. / Glen Allen) who had 27.
• Blocking was a main fixture in last week's matches and was so once again. Dayne Iverson (Sr., Pasco, Wash. / Chiawana) led the team by turning away five attempts, two of them by himself.

How It Happened (Match 2):

• After a short break, the first set saw Eastern Mennonite jump out to an early lead and R-MC had to play catch-up. Down 7-3, the Jackets reeled off eight consecutive points. A pair of them came on Carrano aces while the Royals were plagued by four attack errors during the stretch.
• As EMU attempted to get back into the game and closed the score to 12-9, the Jackets scored seven of the next nine points to put the set out of reach.
• A fast start saw R-MC go up 10-5. EMU fought back to make it 15-12 before the Jackets regained control following a pair of Daniel Nguyen (So., Glen Allen, Va. / Glen Allen) aces and a kill by Carrano to go up 19-12. A kill by Nguyen closed out the set.
• The third and final set was the closest of the day. R-MC jumped out to 12-5 lead, but EMU was able to climb back in it and take a 22-21 lead, but three errors and a bad set doomed the Royals and helped give the Jackets the win.

Inside the Numbers (Match 2):

• Nguyen and Carrano led the team with six kills each.
• Terrell tallied 11 assists.
• Gibson and Nguyen led the team with five digs.

Up Next:

Randolph-Macon returns to the friendly confines of Crenshaw Gym on Monday to host Marymount. It will be the final home match for the Jackets and is set to start at 7 p.m.