LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Randolph-Macon had only lost one set through five ODAC matches before tonight, but the WildCats took the Yellow Jackets to the limit in a barn-burner at the RAD Center.

Randolph squared off against an unbeaten ODAC team for the second week in a row, fresh off of an upset win at Virginia Wesleyan last Wednesday.

The WildCats never led in set one, staying close, but unable to get out of an early 5-1 hole.

In set two, Randolph came out firing, jumping out to an early lead. After a brief Randolph-Macon rally, the WildCats scored five straight on the service of sophomore Alex Mariona to break a 14-14 tie.

The WildCats withstood a run, as duel between the ODAC's top two hitters heated up, with senior Jordan Templin killing five in the set, while her opposite number, Courtney Lowers, put home eight in the frame.

It was Templin who put the set away off of a feed from classmate Katherine Lesnak, leveling the score at 1-1.

Set three started with six ties in the first 16 points, as the teams continued to battle close throughout the frame.

With 13 ties in the set, it was no wonder the teams were level at 23-23 with a key point on the line.

The Yellow Jackets were the beneficiary of a kill and attack error, taking the crucial 2-1 edge.

After the first point of set four, Randolph fell behind for the majority of the second set, never again getting ahead before the Yellow Jackets earned four match points at 24-20.

Kills by Templin and Lesnak surrounded two R-MC mistakes, leveling the set at 24 apiece.

An ace by Lexi Harrington continued her strong serving form, and an attack error by the visitors pushed the match to a fifth frame.

Randolph-Macon never trailed in the deciding set, but Randolph continued to battle.

With the Yellow Jackets up 7-6, Mariona made the play of the day in the middle of a 31-touch rally that took 42 seconds to complete, as she chased the ball to the opposite side of the court to save it. To watch her play, click here.

Unfortunately for the hosts, however, that long rally was eventually killed by setter Riley Martin, marking the last time the WildCats would be within one in the set.

With such long rallies in a close match, both teams posted some gaudy statistics.

Lowers extended her ODAC-leading kill total with 34 put-aways in the match, the fourth-most in a match in ODAC history, while Templin was impressive in her own right, with 21, just four shy of the program record.

Other hitters in double digits included R-MC's Katie Rossberg (23) and Randolph's Mariona (15) and Lesnak (10).

Setters were impressive, as senior Kerry McMichael finished one shy of her own record with 49 assists. Two R-MC setters each had over 30 helpers.

Defensively, Harrington dug 32 balls, putting her six shy of her own program record. Lesnak had 19, while Templin and junior Elisabeth Price had 14 apiece. For R-MC, Lowers led the way with 26, while four others were in double-digits.

"I am so proud of how we played tonight," interim head coach Kara Matthews said. "Lexi [Harrington] played really well, both defensively and in serve/receive. Jordan [Templin] and Alex [Mariona] put balls away when we needed points and I think the middles did a great job, as well."

"Our aggressive serves really helped us fight back," she continued, speaking not only of Randolph's 10-3 edge in aces, but also in regards to the numerous points won off of free balls from serves.

The WildCats take a break from ODAC play with a trip to a tri-match in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, but return to league action next Friday.