For Immediate Release – 10/5/16 - #072
WildCats Drop Match against Eagles

BRIDGEWATER, VA – The Randolph College volleyball team made the trip to Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) rival Bridgewater College on Wednesday night.  The WildCats fell to the Eagles 16-25, 19-25, 11-25 in three sets.

The beginning of the first, saw both teams going back and forth in everything.  The first four points split evenly, before BC scored three straight.  The 'Cats did the same, with Rebecca Lesnak finishing off a Brooks Gillerlain assist to tie it at five.  The Eagles then established a small advantage, but Randolph responded to keep it to two.  It was at this point that Autumn Troxell killed a Gillerlain set.  With that assist, Gillerlain became the sixth WildCat to record 1,000 assists in a career.  The 'Cats used it and closed the gap to one after back to back kills by Troxell and Olivia Pullin.  But Bridgewater tallied four of the next five to take a four-point lead.  The WildCats responded to bring it within two, with the second point coming on a reverse Troxell-Gillerlain connection.  However, the Eagles answered with a commanding run to take the first set.

Randolph took away any momentum at the start of the second, as Alex Mariona notched a kill and Troxell served an early ace.  The two teams then traded mini-bursts before multiple point exchanges.  Troxell, Lesnak, and Shelby Bergum all had kills.  Troxell then blocked an attack to take a 10-9 advantage.  Then after being tied at 11, BC used a large run to take a 19-12 lead.  The WildCats responded and cut the deficit several times.  Bergum and Gillerlain each had a kill, and Troxell slammed home two, but it was not enough as the Eagles won the second.

Bridgewater started the third with a large burst to establish an early lead.  But the 'Cats began to chip away at the deficit with two points here and there.  Bergum blocked an attack after Lesnak finished off a Gillerlain set.  Troxell hammered home two and Mariona added another to bring the WildCats within five.  However, the Eagles came back with another big run to close out the set and the match.

Gillerlain finished off the night with 21 assists, inching her closer to new milestones.  Troxell posted a team-high nine kills and 16 digs in the match.  Sam Verhaagen dug out 11 attacks in the match.  Abby Mills finished with a game-high 11 kills for the Eagles (15-3 overall, 5-1 ODAC).

Randolph (2-15, 0-5) returns home on Friday for Homecoming.  The WildCats host Hollins University (2-15, 0-5) at 7 p.m. to kick off the athletic events for the Randolph College.

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