FREDERICK, Md.- The Randolph volleyball team made a long trek to Maryland to face Hood College on Saturday afternoon. The match went to four sets with three being determined by two points as the WIldCats defeated the Blazers 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 26-24).
The WildCats even their overall record at 13-13. Hood drops to 9-18.
The Blazers took the first point in the first set but Randolph came back to go ahead 4-1. The WildCats held an 8-3 lead but Hood rebounded to close to within one point. The 'Cats inched ahead but Hood answered back and went up 16-15. A 7-2 Randolph run gave it a 22-18 lead. The Blazers kept place and again closed to within a point of tying at 24-23 but Mackenzie Woodson's (Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Collegiate) kill ended the Hood threat as Randolph won 25-23.
Randolph got out in front 4-0 in the second frame and led by as much as 12-6. Hood came back to tie the set twice with the final time coming at 16-16. From there, the WildCats went on a 9-1 run to shut down the Blazers and take the set 25-17.
The third frame saw Hood get out to a 9-3 lead. Trailing 11-6, Randolph went on a 7-1 run to lead 13-12. Hood grabbed the lead back and went up 15-13. After a brief 3-0 run put the 'Cats ahead 16-15, the two teams exchanged points back and forth. The WildCats led late in the set 22-20 but the Blazers used a 5-1 run to overtake Randolph and win the frame 25-23.
Hood led 12-6 in the fourth set. Randolph was able to chip away at its deficit but still trailed 19-17. A 5-0 run gave the 'Cats a 22-19 advantage and a 4-0 Blazer run gave the home team a 23-22 lead. Randolph outscored Hood 4-1 and won the set on an ace by Sequoyah Sorensen (Millville, UT/Western Albemarle).
Woodson had a double-double performance of 12 kills and 19 digs which led the team and also led with a .478 hitting percentage. Brooklyn Finnerty (Lynchburg, Va./Timberlake) laid down 12 kills and added three block assists while hitting .476. Brooke Murdock (Evington, Va./Timberlake Christian) had a balanced effort of eight kills, five block assists and four digs. Tahani Villines (Whittset, N.C./Williams) tacked on 10 kills and five digs. Madison Daniels (Warrenton, Va./Liberty) contributed 10 digs and Vivianna Gustin (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside) nine digs. Jayda Domenech (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) led in assists with 20 and Sorensen contributed 16 assists to go with eight digs.
Randolph returns to ODAC play on Tuesday as it hosts Eastern Mennonite its regular season home finale. Match time will be at 6:30 p.m.