HENRICO, Va. – Women's Volleyball defeated Southern Virginia in a five-set thriller, before sweeping Mary Washington to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2020.
Scores: Randolph-Macon 3, Southern Virginia 2 (25-13, 19-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-11); Randolph-Macon 3, Mary Washington 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-18)
Venue: Henrico Sports & Events Center
Records: Randolph-Macon (3-0, 0-0 ODAC), Mary Washington (1-2, 0-0 C2C), Southern Virginia (1-1, 0-0 USA South)
How it Happened vs. Southern Virginia:
- Randolph-Macon earned seven of the first eight points of the match, headlined by Caitlin Smith (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day School) and Allison Lach (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend), who both ripped service aces. Ella Courtney (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) and Olivia Leonard (Richmond, Va./The New Community School) each tallied two kills on the run, while solidifying an 8-2 lead with a joint block. The pressure remained with RMC, as a service ace from Ellie Rock (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) led to two kills from Oliivia Roark (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day School), which helped the Yellow Jackets take a comfortable double-digit 16-6 advantage. While Southern Virginia used two kills in three points to then force an RMC error, the Lemon and Black closed out set one, 25-13, on kills from Mia Goode (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) and Roark.
- The Yellow Jackets applied pressure again to start the second set, as a 7-2 run was fueled by service aces from Rock and Lach. The Knights responded on their own 5-1 run, which included three aces, but a kill from Roark helped the Yellow Jackets stay ahead 11-7. SVU surged ahead to capture a 12-11 lead, thanks to a 5-0 run that included two kills and another service ace. The two programs traded points until SVU forced three consecutive errors from the Yellow Jackets, notching a 20-17 lead. Even though Smith found Goode for a kill, the Knights secured set two, 25-19, on a 5-1 run.
- The Yellow Jacket offense erupted to begin set three, as the team found itself up 8-1 through nine points. Lach posted two service aces and a kill in a four-point span, while Leonard ripped two kills of her own. SVU took four of the next six points, which included two kills, but Goode used a kill and a service ace in back-to-back points to retain a 12-5 lead. The set closed on a game of runs, as the Knights used three kills from Anne Downs to assemble a 5-0 run, pulling back within two. The Lemon and Black caught fire in response, as they closed set three on a 12-3 run, with a score of 25-14. Courtney began the momentum with two kills and Lach followed with two service aces. Smith found Leonard and Lach for kills and a service ace from Rock capped the run.
- For the first time all match, it was the Knights who presented the offense to begin the set. The road team earned a 9-5 cushion, which included a 4-0 run. Smith assisted Goode and Leonard for kills to shut down the Knights' momentum, but the lead ballooned to 15-9 due to back-to-back service aces and a kill. The Lemon and Black found resiliency and used a kill and a service ace from Goode to get back within one, trailing 18-19. The late pressure, combined with another two kills from Lach, was not enough, as SVU forced an attack error to close a 25-23 set four win.
- The trend resumed in set five, as two service aces from Smith and one from Lach pushed RMC ahead, 6-1. The Knights did not go away, as the opposition used four kills from three players to put them down 6-8. A 4-2 run from RMC, which featured two kills from Lach and one from Courtney, gave the home team a 12-8 edge. After a back-and-forth fifth set, SVU came up short, as a block between Leonard and Courtney sealed a 15-11 set five victory.
Inside the Numbers vs. Southern Virginia:
- Randolph-Macon paced Southern Virginia in kills (54-to-38), aces (20-to-10), assists (51-to-25) and digs (56-to-48).
- The Yellow Jackets led the Knights in hitting percentage in four of the five sets played, including a .556 mark in set one.
- Leonard finished with a match-high 15 kills and added three blocks to go along with her .216 hitting percentage.
- Lach finished just behind with 14 kills and added a tied match-high seven service aces. Her seven service aces marks a new career-high, while also posting 11 digs, good for second on the squad.
- Smith joined Lach with a career-high seven service aces, while also racking up 42 assists, good for more than the SVU total. She also turned in 10 digs.
- Goode led the match with 20 digs, marking a new career-high. She also added 10 kills and two service aces.
How it Happened vs. Mary Washington:
- Kills from Lach and Leonard, followed by an ace from Rock, helped RMC keep pace with a 4-4 score. Mary Washington then went up, 8-5, and retained its three-point advantage until it led 11-8. Randolph-Macon then found its rhythm, as a 6-1 run was piloted by Courtney, who let two kills fly, forcing a UMW timeout. With RMC 15-12 at the break, the Eagles were forced into their second timeout while trailing 13-18, thanks to kills from Goode and Leonard. Three attack errors from the Eagles in four points gave RMC its biggest lead of the match, 22-14. The Eagles used two kills to help generate a 4-1 run, but came up short to a 25-18 RMC set one win. Smith was able to locate Goode and Lach for kills, while the Lemon and Black also forced a service error.
- Courtney started the scoring for RMC with a kill and her team forced two attack errors from the opponents, reaching a 4-4 score. Mary Washington earned itself a 12-8 lead as a result of a service ace and kill, but RMC fought back to regain a 14-13 lead. The 6-1 run featured a kill from Roark and a service ace from Smith, picking up from where she left off last match. Once Mary Washington was forced to call a timeout, it emerged strong, using three Eagles to rip four kills and a service ace, leading to an 18-14 lead. The Yellow Jackets responded with force, as the team closed out set two on an 11-4 run, which was ignited by a 6-0 stretch. In the scoring stretch, Goode tallied back-to-back kills, followed by Lach who let back-to-back kills fly, reaching a 25-22 set two win.
- The Yellow Jackets mounted momentum from the set two win to force UMW into an early timeout, as the home team was leading 7-2. The strong start included three kills from Lach, with two assists coming from Smith and one from Leonard. The timeout was not enough to stop the pressure, as another 6-2 run resulted in another Eagles timeout, with the Yellow Jackets ahead 13-5. Josie Osborne (Wake Forest, N.C./Wake Prep Academy) registered her first-career service ace to ignite the offense and a kill from Goode ended the spurt. Aces from Smith and Roark pushed the lead to 18-8, helping to establish a double-digit lead. The Lemon and Black kept their foot on the gas to close out a 25-18 set three win, thanks to kills from Goode and Lach.
Inside the Numbers vs. Mary Washington:
- The Yellow Jackets led the Eagles in kills (32-to-25), assists (30-to-24) and hitting percentage (.180-to -.011).
- RMC continued its hot serving, posting seven compared to three from UMW.
- The Lemon and Black contained their errors, finishing with 10 less attack errors than the Eagles (16-to-26).
- Goode paced the team with 11 kills, good for the most in the match. She also added eight digs and a match-high 11.5 points.
- Leonard followed with nine kills and also added an impressive .421 hitting percentage, good for a career-best.
- Emery Caylor (Baxley, Ga./Appling County) led the team with 12 digs and added two assists across her three sets played.
For the Record
- With their 3-0 record to start the 2026 season, the Yellow Jackets have won each of their first three contests for the first time since the 2020 season.
Up Next
Randolph-Macon heads to Galloway, N.J., to face Stockton and Wilkes in a tri-match. The first contest, which takes place against the Ospreys, will be at 10:00 a.m., followed by a noon tilt against the Colonels.
