ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – The Yellow Jackets picked up their first win of the Head Coach Jack Wilson era, as his team recorded a 3-0 shutout victory on the road to begin the season.
Score: Randolph-Macon 3, St. Mary's College of Maryland 0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-20)
Venue: Michael P. O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena
Records: Randolph-Macon (1-0, 0-0 ODAC), St. Mary's of Maryland (0-1, 0-0 United East)
How it Happened
- After the two programs were knotted 5-5 through 10 rallies, the Yellow Jackets emerged with a 7-5 lead as Caitlin Smith (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day School) located Olivia Leonard (Richmond, Va./The New Community School) for three kills, while providing one of her own. After the Seahawks brought it back to within one, trailing 7-8, Randolph-Macon took four of the set's next five points. Smith first located Allison Lach (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) before finding Leonard and Ella Courtney (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) for kills, helping to establish an 11-8 lead for RMC. SMCM again got back within one, down 12-13 as a result of an attack error, but two kills from Leonard forced the hosts into a timeout, with the Yellow Jackets ahead 18-13. The Seahawks responded and constructed a 5-3 run out of the break, causing a Yellow Jacket timeout with the team still leading 21-18. A late service ace from SMCM was not enough, as a first-career service ace from Ellie Rock (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) gave RMC a 25-20 set one win.
- Randolph-Macon carried its momentum into set two as it jumped out to an 8-4 lead, fueled by kills from Lach, Mia Goode (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) and Olivia Roark (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day School), as well as a service ace from Lach. The Yellow Jackets continued to apply pressure, as they went on a 9-3 run to establish a double-digit 17-7 advantage. Smith, Lach and Leonard all had kills, while Leonard and Courtney joined for a block. Down 10, the Seahawks used two blocks to help pilot a 5-0 run, forcing RMC into a timeout with a 17-12 lead. The Lemon and Black responded well, going on a 7-3 run to close a decisive 25-14 set two victory. En route to the 2-0 advantage, Rock recorded her second ace of the match, Goode and Roark joined for a block and Smith found Lach to end the set.
- The Seahawks used a kill and block to jump out to a 3-0 set three lead, but two kills from Lach and a block and kill from Leonard helped the Lemon and Black reestablish a 5-4 edge. Once Roark put away a weak Seahawk return off a strong RMC serve, she provided another kill which resulted in a 10-6 cushion. The lead ballooned to 15-9, forcing a timeout from the home team, once Smith used cross-court passes to help Lach and Goode rip two kills each. The timeout proved helpful for the Seahawks, as they tallied a 5-1 run which included four kills, forcing RMC into a timeout as it still maintained a 16-14 edge. The Lemon and Black caught fire quickly, as back-to-back strikes from Lach and Goode resulted in another SMCM timeout, trailing 14-19. The Seahawks were able to bring the contest back within two, down 18-20 after a service ace, but five kills from four different Yellow Jackets closed a 25-20 set three in dominant fashion.
Inside the Numbers
- Randolph-Macon paced St. Mary's College of Maryland 37-20 in kills, while finishing with fewer attack errors (15-to-18).
- RMC held clear advantages in hitting percentage (.237-to-.022), assists (34-to-19) and digs (47-to-38).
- The Yellow Jackets led 10-to-eight in block assists, but trailed five-to-seven in total blocks.
- Leonard tied for a match-high 27 total attacks, while finishing first among all players in kills (11), points (12.5) and second in hitting percentage (.370).
- Lach finished second in the match in total attacks (25), kills (10) and points (11.5).
- Smith led all players with 30 assists, resulting in her ninth career game with 30-or-more.
- Emery Caylor (Baxley, Ga./Appling County) completed play with a match-high 16 digs.
- Leonard and Courtney each recorded three block assists, good for tied-most in the contest.
- Rock was the only player in the game to finish with multiple service aces (two).
For the Record
- With Randolph-Macon's victory against St. Mary's College of Maryland, the Yellow Jackets now hold a 13-4 record all-time against the Seahawks.
- Furthermore, with the win, RMC has now beaten SMCM in 12 of its last 13 contests, including in each of its last five.
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets will host Southern Virginia and Mary Washington for the Labor Day Tri-Match on Saturday, September 5. The teams will compete at the Henrico Sports & Events Center, with RMC set to take on the Knights at 1:00 p.m. and the Eagles at 5:00 p.m.
