DANVILLE, Va. – In two road victories against Averett, the Yellow Jackets broke two of their own hitting percentage milestones, as RMC continues to make history in its 2026 campaign.
Score: (RV) Randolph-Macon 3, Averett 0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-12); (RV) Randolph-Macon 3, Averett 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-22)
Venue: Danville, Va. // Stuart James Grant Center // Averett University
Records: (RV) Randolph-Macon (17-3, 6-0 ODAC); Averett (3-10, 0-5 ODAC)
How it Happened in Match 1:
- Through the first 10 rallies, the set was relatively back-and-forth, until Kody Rogan (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) let a service ace fly before assisting Ian Wagenhauser (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) for a kill, giving RMC three-straight points and a 10-7 lead. While Bryce Matthews (Chesterfield, Va./Clover Hill) had a kill and Isayah Johnson (Fluvanna, Va./St. Anne's Belfield) posted one of his own and a block to get a 15-8 lead, Averett closed the gap to 16-12, after forcing two attack errors. The Yellow Jacket offense then caught fire, assembling a 9-2 run to capture set one, 25-14. The run included six-straight points won from RMC, as it emphasized versatility of the roster. Matthews, Phillip Van Essendelft (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) and Landon Brinkley (Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Christian) all had kills, while Matthews and Van Essendelft joined for back-to-back blocks.
- Randolph-Macon captured the first four points of set two, thanks to kills from Brinkley and Van Essendelft, with assists from Caleb Crowther (Yorktown, Va./Tabb) and Rogan. The Cougars responded with a 5-3 run to get within two, down 5-7, as they were able to generate three kills in the five points won. It was again in the middle of the set when RMC hit its stride, led by Johnson. The junior ripped two kills in three points, before Rogan hit Van Essendelft, Brinkley and Matthews all for kills, pushing the Yellow Jackets all the way out to a 19-9 lead. While the 9-2 run came to an end, two kills in three points from Van Essendelft and a service ace from Rogan helped RMC take set two, 25-13.
- The Yellow Jackets wasted no time taking a 5-1 lead, as the opening spurt was capped with a Matteo DeLuca (Glen Allen, Va./Maggie Walker Governor's School) kill. Even though the home team crept back to be within three, down 4-7, a block and kill from Johnson, followed by a service ace from Wagenhauser, put the Lemon and Black ahead 11-6. Shortly after, the score was quickly 22-10, after RMC put together an impressive 10-2 run. Davis Luck (Ashland, Va./Patrick Henry) started the run with a kill and Zach Bond (Henrico, Va./J.R. Tucker) followed with back-to-back service aces. After the Cougars made three consecutive attack errors to close the run, Wagenhauser ripped two kills and a service ace in the final four points to secure set three, 25-12.
Inside the Numbers in Match 1:
- This was the first match of the season that Randolph-Macon allowed fewer than 15 points won by the opponent in each set played.
- Randolph-Macon finished with a .508 hitting percentage, surpassing the .507 mark from earlier this season for its second-best hitting percentage in a single match in program history.
- The Yellow Jackets' .640 hitting percentage in set two is the highest in any set played this year.
- In the match, the visitors only tallied a total of seven attack errors, tying its season low for the third time in 2026.
- Randolph-Macon led Averett in kills for each of the three sets, posting 11-or-more kills in all three.
- RMC led AU in kills (39-to-18), assists (38-to-17), digs (29-to-16) and aces (six-to-two).
- The Lemon and Black shut Averett down in blocks, six-to-zero, thanks to a tied match-high three blocks from Van Essendelft, Johnson and Matthews.
- Van Essendelft led the match with 10 kills, while Brinkley and Matthews tied for the second-highest mark in the match with seven.
- The senior also tallied a .909 hitting percentage on 11 total attacks. This marks a new career-high with a minimum of 10 total attacks.
- Rogan contributed in all areas, as he led the match in assists (32), tied for first in the match in aces (two) and matched DeLuca for third in the match in digs (five).
- Brady Plucker (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) tied for a match-high six digs, leading RMC.
- Bond tied for a match-high two service aces, giving him five on the season.
How it Happened in Match 2:
- The Lemon and Black took the first two points of set one after kills from Aaron Schreuder (Tomball, Texas/Woodlands Christian Academy) and Wesley Graves (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale), before turning it into a 7-2 run. After Luck had two kills on the back-half of the surge, Averett stabilized itself, bringing the set back to 9-11 thanks to a kill and a service ace. Then, Randolph-Macon had arguably its best stretch of the season, as a 14-2 run closed out set one, 25-11. For the first five points of the run, Luck and Graves alternated kills and it was Thomas Eubank (Henrico, Va./Mills Godwin) supplying the assists. On the back half of the outburst, Luck had three kills, Graves and Finn Oakley (Cambridge, UK/Hills Road Sixth Form) each had a kill and Brady Spicer (Virginia Beach, Va./Frank W. Cox) provided a block.
- The momentum seemed to carry over from set one, as RMC quickly found itself with a 7-1 lead, thanks to two kills and a service ace from Tyler DeMeritt (Rota, Spain/David G. Farragut). While DeMerritt had his team on the move, Averett fought to make the set 9-14, after forcing an attack error. Once Eubank hit Jaylen Hister (Henrico, Va./J.R. Tucker) for a kill to get the team back on track, they turned it into a 10-5 run to dominate set two, 25-15. The run contained three kills and a block DeMerritt, two kills from Oakley, as well as a block and service ace from Schreuder.
- AJ Angeles (Norfolk, Va./Granby) hit Spicer for a kill to put their squad ahead 3-0, giving RMC a solid start to the third set. Once the Cougars took the next two points, the programs traded rallies until RMC had a 9-6 lead, thanks to a kill from Bond. In a much tighter set, JB Brizendine (Moseley, Va./Cosby) helped his team with a block, followed by a service ace from Brennan Walker (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville), vaulting the Yellow Jackets ahead 15-10. Even though a shared block between Brizendine and DeLuca gave the Lemon and Black a 23-18 lead with the win in sight, three consecutive points from the Cougars brought them back within two. Despite its closest set of the evening, RMC closed set three, 25-22, after a dagger from Oakley.
Inside the Numbers in Match 2:
- The Lemon and Black concluded match two with an impressive .458 hitting percentage, including a .625 in set one. That value is the second-highest in any individual set this season, only trailing the .640 posted in set two of match one.
- RMC again rifled double-digit kills in each of their three sets, pacing AU in the first two.
- Oakley finished with a team and career-high seven kills. He also added his first-career service ace and finished with a career-high 14 total attacks.
- Eubank finished with a season and team-high 23 assists, while tying his second-highest dig total of the season (four).
- Brizendine and Spicer tied for a match-high two blocks. This marks a career-high for Spicer and ties Brizendine's season-high.
- DeMerrit swung an immaculate 1.000 hitting percentage on five total attacks for five kills, giving the sophomore career-highs in all three categories.
- Angeles' nine assists are the second-highest in his career, as he also posted his first career attack attempt.
- Graves' five kills is a new season-high, as well as his .833 hitting percentage.
- Crowther set a new season-high with two assists and added four digs.
For the Record
- The Yellow Jackets' 17-3 record through their first 20 matches in the 2026 season is the best start to a season in program history.
Up Next
Men's Volleyball hits the road for a tri-match, as RMC will be facing Bridgewater, as well as #9 Southern Virginia. The Yellow Jackets are slated to face the Eagles at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, followed by their match against the Knights at 3:00 p.m.
