LYNCHBURG, Va.- For the second straight season, the Randolph volleyball team has qualified for the ODAC Tournament as the eighth seed and it is the first time since 2014-2015 that the WildCats have made back-to-back postseason appearances. Randolph faces top-seeded Randolph-Macon in Ashland tonight. Start time for the match is 7:00 p.m.
How They Got Here: Much like last season, it came down to the last weekend of the regular season. A Shenandoah 3-0 loss to Guilford secured the final playoff spot for the WildCats. With a three-way tie between Emory and Henry, Eastern Mennonite, and Randolph, the WildCats earned the last spot based on points for victories over a league opponent. The Yellow Jackets went a perfect 12-0 in ODAC play to secure the top seed for the sixth straight season.
Last Time: The two teams last met on September 18 in Ashland. The WildCats took the third set 26-12 but would fall to the Yellow Jackets 3-1. Mackenzie Ambrose had seven kills and added 10 digs. Taylor Webb tallied 15 assists. Sam Verhaagen totaled 13 digs. Audrey Antesberger laid down three service aces and picked up four blocks.
The WildCats: Ambrose is the team leader in kills with 307 and service aces with 44. She is seventh in the ODAC in both categories. Verhaagen's 438 digs are also seventh in the conference. Antesberger is eighth in total blocks with 81. Taylor Webb's 763 assists are second in the league.
The Yellow Jackets: Sydney Koch leads the ODAC in hitting percentage at .377. She is fifth in total blocks with 86 and trails teammate Kai Cunningham's 92. Grace Parker is one of four with over 200 kills on the team as she leads with 273. Angela Tender and Macguire Gubba have a combined 1,057 assists. Tender is second in service aces with 52.
ODAC Tournament History: This is the second year Randolph and Randolph-Macon have met in the quarterfinals. The Yellow Jackets won last year's match 3-0. It is the WildCats' 12th ODAC Tournament appearance. The Yellow Jackets have qualified for 23 tournaments and won six conference titles in their history.
