HARRISONBURG, VA – First-year Shana Nelson (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) returned to the lineup Friday night in grand fashion, tying the school record for hitting percentage as the Randolph College volleyball team knocked off Eastern Mennonite University in four games in league play. The WildCats earned the victory after the game saw scores of -21, 27-29, 25-17 and 25-18.

In the first set, the WildCats (6-3/1-1 ODAC) hit at the second-highest clip for a set of the year, finishing 42.3 percent of their attacks in rolling to the 25-21 victory. Nelson posted kills on seven of her eight attempts in the first stanza, as the WildCats rallied from a 16-9 deficit, going on a 12-2 run midway through the set.

In the second game, the Royals (3-8/0-2 ODAC) and WildCats exchanged leads throughout the game, with the score being tied 14 times before EMU earned the 29-27 win. First-year Jordan Templin (Ferrum, VA/Franklin Co.) had four kills in the set for Randolph. In the third game, the WildCats stifled the Royal hitters, rolling to a 25-17 win as both Nelson and Templin had four kills.

The fourth set was much like the third, as Randolph College jumped out to a big lead and held that for much of the game, capturing the ODAC win with a 25-18 victory of game four. Nelson finished with 14 kills on 22 attempts, as her .591 hitting percentage tied Jen Gollehon's effort at Ursinus College in 2001 for the best ever at the College. Nelson now has two of the three best percentage hitting games in school history in only eight matches played.

Templin booked her second double-double in as many games, chalking up 12 digs to go with 11 kills. First-year Grayce Darden (Martinsville, VA/Martinsville) has been a model of consistency lately, as she has posted double-digit kills in three of her last four outings after tonight's 10 kill performance.

First-year setter Kerry McMichael (Westminster, SC/West Oak) continued to rack up assists, as she dished out 37 Friday evening, also contributing two aces and two assisted blocks. First-year Lexi Harrington (Clemmons, NC/West Forsyth) had a game-high 15 digs and three aces, while fellow back row player Caitlin Glennen (Knoxville, TN/Karns) had 11 digs.

Sara Ritchie had 13 kills to pace the Royals, and Mattie Lehman had 31 assists, 13 digs and five kills in the loss Friday evening. Randolph hit .264 as a team, posting nine aces and four total blocks.

Randolph continues ODAC play tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. with a battle against the Eagles of Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, VA.

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