FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Yellow Jackets closed out their regular season with a difficult tri-match, recording a narrow loss against Eastern before battling Mary Washington.
Scores: Eastern 3, Randolph-Macon 2 (27-25, 18-25, 26-24, 25-21, 15-8); Mary Washington 3, Randolph-Macon 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-21)
Venue: University of Mary Washington
Records: Randolph-Macon (14-12, 5-7 ODAC); Eastern (15-12, 8-0 Commonwealth); Mary Washington (14-9, 0-0 C2C)
How it Happened vs. Eastern
- While Eastern used a service ace to take a quick 4-1 lead in set one, three-straight kills from the Yellow Jackets knotted the set at four. Once Caitlin Smith (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day School) located Allison Lach (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) and Ella Courtney (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) for kills on the offensive, Olivia Leonard (Richmond, Va./The New Community School) and Olivia Roark (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day School) both tallied blocks to push RMC ahead, 10-8. Ellie Rock (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) was able to post a service ace with the lead but Eastern countered with a 4-0 run to lead 15-12 at the media timeout. Two blocks from Lach and one from Courtney ignited a 5-1 run for RMC, forcing the Eagles into a timeout with the set now tied at 17. Aiden Jolly (Fredericksburg, Va./Chancellor) found Leonard and Avery Jastrzemski (Richmond, Va./Goochland) down the stretch but EU used a kill to grind a 27-25 set one win.
- The Lemon and Black opened with the momentum on a 4-1 run in set two, using a kill and block from Courtney. The Eagles responded with a 6-1 run to take an 11-9 edge, with the spurt containing four kills and a service ace. Once the Yellow Jackets called a timeout, Smith hit Lach and Delaney McDonald (Locust Grove, Va./Locust Grove) for a pair of kills, tying the set at 11. Randolph-Macon saw Jolly assist Mia Goode (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) for back-to-back kills, with an ace from Rock capping a 6-1 run, putting the Eagles in a timeout with RMC ahead, 17-14. Eastern resorted to its second timeout of the set once it was behind 18-21, thanks to a kill from Lach and ace from Roark. The Yellow Jackets made quick work and closed set two in a 4-0 run to take it 25-18, with Roark providing an ace and a kill.
- Randolph-Macon used kills form Roark, Leonard and Smith, coupled with an ace from Lach to establish a 6-3 lead. The Eagles responded with a 4-1 run to reach a 7-7 score, before a block from Roark and ace from Lach pushed the Yellow Jackets ahead, 14-12. While Eastern paced 15-14 at the media break, Randolph-Macon constructed a 7-3 run to force EU into a timeout, with it behind 18-21. The offense was highlighted by Courtney, who had two consecutive kills after a Lach rejection. Smith ripped an ace and went on to find Goode and Courtney for kills but was forced to call a timeout up 24-23 as a result of a 4-1 run from EU. Roark stepped up for a block and then the Eagles committed an error, giving the Yellow Jackets a 26-24 set three win.
- In set four, a pair of kills from Lach and ace from Roark provided an early 4-1 lead for RMC. Despite the Eagles tying it up, they then had to call a timeout due to back-to-back Smith-to- Jastrzemski connections. Eastern responded well, as it used a kill and service ace to re-tie the set at nine, resulting in a timeout from the Lemon and Black. The Eagles were able to keep the pressure on, as back-to-back blocks fueled a 7-2 run, putting the Yellow Jackets in a three-point hole and a timeout. Eastern posted back-to-back blocks to cap off a 5-0 run and despite a 5-0 run in response from RMC, EU captured set four, 25-21.
- Eastern opened the final set with back-to-back aces, generating a 6-2 cushion. RMC got a kill from Leonard and block from Courtney but then had to talk it over once the score reached 9-3. Roark followed with her own block to put her team back within four but the Eagles compiled two blocks and a kill on a closing 5-2 run to take the final set, 15-8.
Inside the Numbers vs. Eastern
- Randolph-Macon held a slight edge in kills (46-to-42) and assists (42-to-39).
- The programs tied in digs (87) and blocks (14).
- Courtney and Lach tied for a team-high nine kills each, while Courtney paced all players with five blocks.
- Roark, Lach and Rock all tallied three service aces across the five sets.
- Goode posted 20 digs, marking a new career-high.
- Jolly registered a team-high 22 assists, which marks the third-most in any match of her career.
How it Happened vs. Mary Washington
- Randolph-Macon got out to an early 7-5 lead, which featured a 4-1 run led by Lach, who had two blocks and a kill. While Mary Washington tied the set at seven, RMC took four-straight points to establish an 11-7 lead, thanks to a block and kill from Goode. Mary Washington responded with a 6-1 run that included five kills, putting it ahead 13-12 in the middle of the set. Lach and Jastrzemski countered with consecutive kills but Mary Washington strung three points together to retain the advantage. The Eagles closed set one on a 6-3 run to take it 25-23, despite an ace and kill from Roark.
- The Eagles took three-straight points in set two but the Yellow Jackets matched, as Jolly hit Courtney and Lach for rips. RMC went on to record five-straight points to lead 11-8, as Smith found Roark and Jastrzemski for kills to bookend a Lach block. The Eagles used two kills and a block to tie the set 13-13, before going to lead 21-16 on a 6-1 run. The momentum was too much for the Yellow Jackets to overcome, as kills from Lach, Smith and Courtney came up just short in a 19-25 set two score.
- Randolph-Macon exploded early in set three, as a 5-0 run resulted in a 7-4 score, as Jastrzemski had two kills and Ashley Grace Johnstone (Richmond, Va./Collegiate) had a service ace. The Eagles forced a handful of errors from the Yellow Jackets, pushing them back to a 9-7 lead. The run ballooned to 10-3, forcing the Lemon and Black into a timeout, with Goode and Lach providing points to try and slow UMW. While Smith hit Lach out of the break for a kill, a pair of kills from Mary Washington kept it ahead by five. Jastrzemski went on to record a kill before Lach tallied two of her own, putting the hosts in a timeout with the lead diminished to two. Mary Washington took three of the next four points to capture set three, 25-21.
Inside the Numbers vs. Mary Washington
- RMC led UMW 42-to-33 in kills, 48-to-45 in digs and 40-to-31 in assists.
- The Eagles held the advantage in hitting percentage (.216-to-.098) despite RMC going positive in all three sets.
- The Lemon and Black recorded 13-or-more kill sin each of the three sets.
- Goode, Lach and Jastrzemski tied for a match-high 11 kills, while Lach also led all players with four blocks.
- Smith dished out a match-high 21 assists, while Jolly followed with 12.
- Roark was the only player in the contest to register multiple aces.
Up Next
The fifth-seeded Yellow Jackets travel to face the fourth-seeded Lynchburg Hornets on Tuesday, November 10. The ODAC Quarterfinal contest is slated for a 6:00 p.m. start time.
