LYNCHBURG, Va.- The Randolph volleyball team hosted its first match of the season on Thursday evening as it welcomed cross-city rival Lynchburg to Giles Gymnasium. It was a match typical of ODAC play as the two teams battled it out with the Hornets coming out on the winning end 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 26-24, 25-18).

On the season, the Hornets improve their record to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference. The WildCats drop to 0-4 and 0-3 in the ODAC.

In the first set, both team traded off points with neither establishing a significant run. Trailing 5-4, Randolph was able to get ahead with a 5-1 run to lead 10-5. Lynchburg rallied to get to within a point of tying at 10-9. The 'Cats' lead eventually stood at 18-15. Four times would the Hornets tie the match with the final time coming at 21-21. The Hornets scored three straight points to go ahead 23-21. Randolph closed to within a points but a kill by Emma Drake gave the Hornets the winning point for the set.

The second set mirrored the first with the teams exchanging points. Down 20-18, Randolph rode a 7-0 run to close out the set and win 25-20. The WildCats last four points all came on kills.

In the third set, Lynchburg led 7-4 until the WildCats knotted the set at 7-all. Each Hornet point saw the 'Cats have an answer. Lynchburg led 20-16 but another Randolph rally tied at 21-21. The WildCats eventually went ahead 24-23 and looked to even the match up. The Hornets, however, tallied the last three points to win 26-24.

Lynchburg used its late momentum to take a 10-2 lead in the fourth frame. The lead eventually grew to 12-3. Randolph would not be deterred as it used a 10-3 run to close to 15-13. The WildCats moved the score to 18-16 but Lynchburg was too much as it used a 7-2 run to pull away from the 'Cats.

Mackenzie Ambrose (Floyd, Va./Floyd County) had a double-double of 12 kills and 18 digs. She also added three block assists. Tomi-Lauren McGinnis (Ringgold, Va./Dan River) also had 12 kills to go with five digs. Emily Barcenas (Lawrenceville, Ga./Lanier) and Melody Washington (Fredericksburg, Va./Chancellor) both finished with 20 assists each with Washington chipping in 11 digs. Lindsey Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va./Salem) led the team in digs with 23. Audrey Antesberger (Scottsville, Va./Saint Anne's Belfield) and Logan Warren (Chesterfield, Va./Steward School) contributed seven and five block assists, respectively. The WildCats had a total of 18 block assists on the night.

Randolph hosts a tri-match this coming Saturday. The WildCats take on Randolph-Macon at 11:00 am and finish with Washington and Lee at 3:00 p.m.