UNION, N.J.Â
– Men's volleyball split their Saturday double header, defeating Hunter in five sets, then falling to Messiah in five.
Score:Â Randolph-Macon 3, Hunter 2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â (16-25, 25-15, 30-28, 18-25, 15-11)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Randolph-Macon 2, Messiah 3Â Â Â Â Â (23-25, 27-25, 18-25, 25-16, 15-17)
Venue:Â Harwood Arena
Records:Â Randolph-Macon (4-5, 0-0 CVC), Hunter (1-2, 0-0 CUNYAC), Messiah (3-3, 0-0 MAC)
How it Happened vs. Hunter:
- Hunter jumped on the Yellow Jackets in the first set, taking a 12-3 lead in a hurry. RMC found their groove with an 11-6 run that cut the lead back to four but Hunter won seven of the final nine points to take the opening stanza 25-16.
- Kody Rogan (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) tallied three kills in the opening points of the second set as the teams were knotted at eight. RMC took a 9-1 run to open a 16-9 lead. The Yellow Jackets kept control of the rest of the set, never letting the score get within six the rest of the way as they won set two, 25-15.
- The third set was about as close as they come, as RMC took the first multi-point lead of the set at 10-8 but the Hawks answered with a 9-1 run to take a 17-11 lead. Hunter held that six-point lead at 23-17 before RMC used a 7-1 run to tie it up at 24. Both teams traded points and Hunter had a 28-27 lead until kills by Ian Wagenhauser (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) and Phillip Van Essendelft (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) lifted the Yellow Jackets to a 30-28 set three win.
- The Hawks took the lead early in the fourth frame, holding a four-point advantage at 9-5. The Yellow Jackets were being held off by Hunter, facing an 18-12 deficit before a 3-0 RMC run cut it to three. Hunter immediately answered with their own 3-0 run and held that lead to force the deciding set, winning 25-18.
- The fifth set was controlled by the Yellow Jackets as they took a 5-2 lead in the opening points. The Hawks cut the lead to 10-8 but that was as close as it got as RMC pulled away for a 15-11 set five win.
Inside the Numbers vs. Hunter:
- Kody Rogan hit .314 on his way to a season-high 18 kills. He also finished the match with 22 assists and four blocks.
- Ian Wagenhauser had 12 kills along with six blocks, two of which were solo, and eight digs.
- Phillip Van Essendelft was the third Yellow Jacket with double-digit kills, finishing with 10 on a .318 hitting percentage.
- Brady Plucker (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) had a team-high 19 digs out of the libero spot.
- Cade Terrell (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) led the team with 26 assists, one shy of his season-high of 27.
How it Happened vs. Messiah:
- Neither team went on a run of more than two points in the first set until a 3-0 run for RMC made the score 17-16 in favor of the Yellow Jackets. The two teams kept trading points and a trio of 2-0 runs for Messiah lifted them to a 25-23 set one win.
- The second set was a different story, mostly filled with runs. RMC went on a 3-0 run early to take a 3-1 lead, but was followed by a 3-0 run by Messiah. The Falcons led 7-6 until a 3-0 run by the Yellow Jackets gave them the lead but once again, Messiah answered with a 7-1 run. RMC wouldn't back down, charging into a 5-0 run to regain the lead at 15-14. The two sides traded punches and were even knotted at 25 until kills by Ian Wagenhauser and Brooks Cowart (Glen Allen, Va./Glen Allen) took the set 27-25.
- Messiah had control of the third set out of the gate, holding a 12-7 advantage early. RMC ignited a 5-0 run to tie the set. Messiah slowly built the lead back out without letting the Yellow Jackets back in it and won the set 25-18.
- The fourth set was all RMC as a 3-0 run and a pair of 4-0 runs helped the Yellow Jackets jump out to a 15-9 lead. After a quick Messiah 3-1 run, RMC had another 4-0 run to extend the lead further. They didn't let the Falcons back into the set as RMC forced set five with a 25-16 win.
- Set five was a battle for both sides as neither could pull away. Messiah had a 9-7 lead but RMC erased it with a 3-0 run. The Falcons then had match point but RMC tied it at 14. A 2-0 run for Messiah finished the match, winning 17-15 in the fifth set.
Inside the Numbers vs. Messiah:
- The reigning CVC rookie of the year, Ian Wagenhauser, had a career-high 26 kills, hitting .383 with five digs.
- Phillip Van Essendelft also had a career-high with 14 kills, hitting at a dominating clip of .684.
- Cade Terrell had 31 assists and Kody Rogan had 25, both are season-highs.
- Owen Hahn (Henrico, Va./Tucker) totaled six blocks. Hahn leads the CVC with 39 blocks on the season.
- The .272 hitting percentage is the second-highest in a match this season, behind a .388 hitting percentage against Virginia Wesleyan.
- 62 kills and 61 assists both mark season-highs for the Yellow Jackets.
Up Next
- Randolph-Macon will return home on Friday for a CVC match against Rutgers-Newark at 7:00 p.m.
