For immediate release – 9/8/2015 - #013
WildCats Drop Heartbreaker to Ferrum

LYNCHBURG, VA – The Randolph College volleyball team twice rallied from a set down, before falling to Ferrum College 3-2 on Tuesday night.  The nonconference matchup ended 17-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-22, with the final set ending 15-12 in favor of the Panthers.

FC jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead in the first set.  After some back and forth action, an attack error by the Panthers put their lead at 7-6.  The two teams exchanged several more points before Ferrum made another run and took a 17-12 advantage.  Randolph scored four of the next five points to cut the lead to two, which included an Alex Mariona kill.  However, the WildCats would get no closer and fall.

In the second, the two teams went point-for-point early on, before the 'Cats scored five in a row to take a 10-5 lead, highlighted by three kills from Rebecca Lesnak.  FC came back with one kill, before Randolph responded with four more points, including another Lesnak finish.  The WildCats continued to keep the large margin, throughout the rest of the match, and after a Panther attack error, Mariona slammed the ball down for the set, 25-17.

The 'Cats jumped out to an 8-1 advantage at the start of the third, but Ferrum came right back with an even larger run.  FC took the lead after a nine-all tie, and pushed it to 16-11.  However, momentum shifted and Randolph came within two points on several occasions, including 22-20.  The Panthers though would score three of the next four to finish it off, 25-21.

Once again, down a set, the WildCats came out firing, scoring the first five points, including two kills by Noelle Wojciechowski.  As what happened with the first three sets, the teams exchanged points for a period of time, before Ferrum went on a run.  The Panthers tied the score at 15-all.  Autumn Troxell, Lesnak, and Brooks Gillerlain, combined for three-straight kills to put the advantage at 18-15, and following an FC point, two more 'Cats' points gave Randolph a 20-16 lead.  The lead would get no closer than three, before Mariona killed a Gillerlain assist for the 25-22 set win.

The final set saw Randolph get a quick 4-2 lead, but the Panthers responded with six straight.  The WildCats fought back several times, closing the lead to three on several occasions.  After Ferrum earned the right to serve for match-point, the 'Cats forced four straight errors, cutting the deficit to 14-12, but it was to no avail, as FC won on the next point.

Ebony Crawford and Jordan Joyce each had ten kills for the Panthers (1-1 overall).  FC libero Sarah Hendrix had a game high 26 digs.  Mariona led the way with 16 kills, with Lesnak second with 11.  Gillerlain once again had the game-high in assists, notching 40.

The WildCats (2-3) head to the Roanoke College Maroon Classic this weekend, where they will play two games on both Friday and Saturday.  The first match will be against Mary Baldwin College on Friday at 3 p.m.

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