(ASHLAND, Va.) – The final match of the regular season was a thriller as Randolph-Macon defeated Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon. It took a third set at sixth singles to decide the match with Brianne Bock (Sr., Chesapeake, Va. / Western Branch) providing the heroics.
The Basics
Score: Randolph-Macon 5, Virginia Wesleyan 4
Venue: Banks Tennis Courts
Records: Randolph-Macon 7-5, 5-4 ODAC; Virginia Wesleyan 10-7, 5-4 ODAC
How It Happened
- Doubles play was a precursor to how the day was going as all three matches were competitive. Adele Huffman (So., Granite Falls, N.C. / University Christian) and Bock paired together for an 8-4 win over Sophia Bibbo and Kaitlyn Totman at third doubles to start the day. Gabby Cifuentes (Sr., Stafford, Va. / Paul VI) and Rachael Johnston (Sr., Roanoke, Va. / Hidden Valley) then won a nail-biter over Christine Zalameda and Maya Brown at second doubles. Needing a tiebreaker for the deciding eighth set, the Jackets were able to take a 2-1 lead into singles play with an 8-7 (8-6) win.
- Virginia Wesleyan came back to take a 4-3 lead after wins at first, second and third singles. Matty Grace Gilliam (So., Murfreesboro, N.C. / Ridgecroft) kept the Lemon and Black in the contest with a win at fourth singles by a pair of 6-2 set wins against Totman.
- Huffman went 2-0 on the day and evened the match score with a close contest against Brown. Huffman scored a 6-3 win in the first set and a 6-4 win in the second.
- The match came down to Bock who fell in the first set to Bibbo 6-4, but rebounded to dominate the second and win 6-1. In the deciding third set, Bock pulled out the victory for the Jackets with a 6-4 win over her own to go 2-0 on the day.
Up Next
The Jackets will await the playoff seedings for the ODAC Tournament to see where they will play in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
