VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Despite dropping the second set, Randolph-Macon Men's Volleyball saw five players tally eight-or-more kills and 15-or-more total attacks to earn a 3-1 win on the road.
Score: #17 Randolph-Macon 3, Virginia Wesleyan 1 (25-23, 31-33, 25-22, 25-22)
Venue: Virginia Beach, Va. // TowneBank Arena // Virginia Wesleyan University
Records: #17 Randolph-Macon (22-4, 10-0 ODAC); Virginia Wesleyan (17-7, 6-5 ODAC)
How it Happened
- Set one saw the two programs remain within one point of each other for a long stretch, until back-to-back attack errors from the Marlins gave RMC an 11-9 lead. Phillip Van Essendelft (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory), Landon Brinkley (Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Christian) and Bryce Matthews (Chesterfield. Va./Clover Hill) all ripped kills in three of the next five points to force a VWU timeout with the road team leading 15-11. Out of the break, the Marlins used an 8-4 run that was capped off by a service ace to bring the set all the way back to 19-19. Kody Rogan (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) found Nathan Karluk (Midlothian, Va./Midlothian) for a kill to put the Yellow Jackets back on track, before two kills from Matthews iced a 25-23 set one win.
- Rogan hit Brinkley for a kill to start the scoring in set two before finding Matthews and Ian Wagenhauser (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) for two kills each to snag an 8-7 lead. With the lead, Wagenhauser let three more kills fly before Karluk, Matthews and Van Essendelft all got blocks, holding an 18-16 lead. Virginia Wesleyan was then forced to call a timeout while trailing 17-20, as a result of two kills and a block from Van Essendelft. Out of the timeout, the Marlins placed three consecutive kills to knot the set at 20. In an incredible run down the stretch, the two teams traded points for the next 24 points, as Wagenhauser, Karluk and Matthews all tallied multiple kills. In the end, the Marlins took set two, 33-31 after a kill and attack error.
- Randolph-Macon generated an early 9-5 lead, highlighted by two kills from Rogan and a joint block between he and Van Essendelft. Two Marlin errors and a kill from Wagenhasuer quickly put RMC ahead 12-7 in the middle of the set. The home team rebounded nicely, as they put together a 7-2 run which cut the Yellow Jacket lead to 15-14 at the media timeout. The Lemon and Black demonstrated their depth, as five different Yellow Jackets laced kills, with Van Essendelft also getting a service ace, en route to a 22-19 lead. While VWU got the next two points, Rogan located Van Essendelft and Brinkley for kills to win set three, 25-22.
- The Yellow Jackets began set four on a 7-3 run, which saw Wagenhauser and Matthews each garner kills. The Marlins forced two errors from RMC in a three-point span which led to them closing the deficit to two. Leading 10-8, Randolph-Macon used three kills from Wagenhauser to put together a 5-1 run, forcing a timeout from the Marlins. While WVU won six of the set's next nine points, Rogan found Karluk, Matthews and Brinkley all for kills to maintain a 21-17 lead. Brinkley was able to add the exclamation point in a 25-22 set three win, thanks to another kill and service ace, followed by a final kill from Rogan.
Inside the Numbers
- Randolph-Macon paced Virginia Wesleyan 62-60 in total assists, thanks to a career-high 56 from Rogan.
- The Yellow Jackets also led in hitting percentage (.268-to-.247) and blocks (11-to-five).
- RMC finished with less attack errors than WVU (23-to-26) and service errors (nine-to-11).
- Along with his career-high 56 assists, Rogan had eight digs, six points and four kills, resulting in a .375 hitting percentage.
- The senior has now posted 20-or-more assists in each of his last 16 matches.
- Matthews led the team in points (19.0), kills (17) and total attacks (43). The junior has 15-or-more kills and 10-or-more points in each of his last four matches.
- Brady Plucker (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) totaled a match-high 19 digs, tying the third-highest mark in a single match of his career.
- Wagenhauser finished second on the team with 13 kills in his return, as the senior added six digs, two assists and a block with his team-high .385 hitting percentage.
- Van Essendelft totaled 12 kills in four sets, as he added a match-high three solo blocks and a team-high 18.5 points.
- Brinkley and Karluk combined for 17 kills in the match, as Brinkley also had two digs and a service ace.
Up Next
Randolph-Macon hosts Roanoke on Saturday, March 21 at 2:00 p.m. for its SWARM Match in Crenshaw Gym.
