(ASHLAND, Va.) - Randolph-Macon split its two matches in a tri as it hosted Southern Virginia and Tusculum in men's volleyball action on Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets dropped a hard-fought contest to the eighth-ranked Knights before capping off the day with a four-set victory over the Pioneers who compete at the Division I level in the sport. 

The Basics 

Scores: Randolph-Macon 1, No. 8 Southern Virginia 3 (25-20, 23-25, 28-26, 25-17) 
Randolph-Macon 3, Tusculum 1 (25-22, 25-20, 27-25, 25-22) 

Venue: Crenshaw Gymnasium 

Records: Randolph-Macon 10-3, No. 8 Southern Virginia 10-2, Tusculum 4-8 

How It Happened (Match 1) 

• Just as last week's match unfolded, this version was also close. After SVU took the first set, the Lemon and Black responded in a big way and jumped out to a 10-4 lead to start the second thanks to multiple errors on the Knights' attack. Even so, the visitors battled their way back and eventually tied the game at 14-all. From there the teams nearly went point-for-point the rest of the way until the Yellow Jackets used kills from Kolby Gibson (Jr., Bumpass, Va. / Louisa) and Jarrett Carrano (Jr., Beaverdam, Va. / Patrick Henry) to even the match at 1-1. 

• The third set was a heartbreaker as the Jackets had an opportunity to take the match lead, but the Knights were able to force the game to extra points and take the lead. An SVU error and an ace by Drew Klein (So., Glen Allen, Va. / Glen Allen) put R-MC up 24-22, but the Knights tied it again 24-all on the next two points. Another Carrano kill and a spike from Gio DeLuca (So., Glen Allen, Va. / Glen Allen) gave the hosts two more chances at game point, but the Knights were able to scrape out the next three points for the lead. 

• A 9-2 run helped the Knights separate themselves in the fourth set as they took a 20-12 lead. R-MC could only cut the deficit to seven the rest of the way as SVU scored the match win. 

Inside The Numbers (Match 1) 

• Gibson led the R-MC attack with 14 kills on 31 attempts for a hitting percentage of .290. Carrano finished with seven.  

• Sean Cunningham (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va. / Kempsville) led the defense up front with five blocks on the day, one of which was solo. DeLuca added four more. 

• Cade Terrell (So., Glen Allen, Va. / Deep Run) set up the attack with 30 assists. 

• Terrell, Gibson, and John Saxman (So., Henrico, Va. / Mills Godwin) led the defense on the receiving end with seven digs. 

How It Happened (Match 2) 

• After Tusculum swept through Southern Virginia in the middle match, some may have thought the odds were against the Yellow Jackets. The Pioneers did hold a 15-10 lead midway though the opening set, but R-MC got stronger as the day went on. A DeLuca kill, a pair of Carrano aces, a kill by Gibson, and a pair of TU errors eventually tied the game at 16-all, and the crowd could see the resurgance of energy on the Jackets' bench. The Jackets were finally able to get the lead at 23-22 on a block by Gibson, and they eventually closed the opening game with a kill from Carrano and a Pioneers' error. 

• The second set felt similar to the first in that Tusculum held the momentum early before R-MC caught fire at the tail end. Down 17-15, the Jackets didn't allow the Pioneers to string together consecutive points the rest of the way. In the mean time a kill by GIbson gave them their first lead of the set at 18-17, and a pair of kills from Carrano gave them the lead for good. Five of the final six points for the Jackets were on kills with Gibson putting down the final blow and a 2-1 lead for R-MC. 

• Tusculum remained alive with a third set victory and flipped the script as the Pioneers rallied back from being down 23-19. Randolph-Macon didn't fold, however, and bounced back with a furious start to the fourth. The Jackets never trailed and jumped out to a 12-6 lead to start the game after a Gibson ace. The Pioneers clawed back and cut the deficit to two on multiple occasions late, but a service error by the Pioneers sealed the victory for the Lemon and Black. 

Inside The Numbers (Match 2)

• With the win, Randolph-Macon moves to 3-0 against teams that compete at the Division I level in men's volleyball. 

• Carrano led the attack as he pounded out 16 kills on 36 attempts to hit .306 for the match. Klein added 11 and Gibson chalked up 10 to join him in double figures. 

• Saxman led the defense on the receiving end with 10 digs. 

• DeLuca and Klein both blocked three attacks with each picking up a solo in their totals. 

• Terrell made 39 assists setting up the offense. 

• Randolph-Macon's win snapped a three-match winning streak by the Pioneers. 

• The Yellow Jackets scored at least 25 points in six of the eight sets played on the day. 

Up Next 

The Yellow Jackets head on the road for their next five contests. The first will be this Tuesday when they head to Eastern Mennonite for their CVC contest with the Royals. First serve is set for 7 p.m.