FREDERICK, Md.- The Randolph men's volleyball team played its first two matches in program history on Saturday as they WildCats faced Elizabethtown and Hood. The WildCats dropped a thrilling 3-2 decision to the Blue Jays in the first match and won 3-0 over the Blazers in the second match for their first program victory.
Against the Blazers, the WildCats started off strong in the first set as they got out to a 7-2 lead. Hood closed to within three points at 18-15 but the 'Cats outscored the Blazers 7-4 down the stretch to take the set win.
Randolph's lead in the second set was 13-7. Hood got as close as two points late but the WildCats pulled away in the end to win 25-21.
The Blazers led in the third set at one point 17-14. At 20-17, the WildCats tied it up at 20-20. With the set tied 22-22, a Hood attack error followed by back-to-back kills by Elijah Woods (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory HS) gave Randolph the 25-22 set win and match victory.
Woods led with 10 kills. Samuel Looney (Fort Worth, Texas/Trinity Valley HS) led in digs with eight. Ahmed Diallo (Aurora, Colo./Overland HS) had five block assists, four kills, and three digs. Conner Maher (Buckeye, Ariz./Odyssey Institute) totaled 30 assists and six digs.
In the opening set against the Blue Jays, E-Town scored the first point of the match and then kills by Woods and Diallo put the 'Cats up 2-1. Both teams would match each other point for point. With the Blue Jays up 10-9, Randolph went on a 4-0 run to lead 13-10. Up 16-13, another WildCat run, this one 9-2, put the Blur Jays away as the WildCats claimed the set 25-15.
Elizabethtown led 6-2 in the second set before Randolph made it 8-7. The WildCats would eventually tie the set at 11-11. The Blue Jays pulled ahead 21-16 on their way to a 25-21 set win.
The Blue Jays got off to a 7-1 lead in the third frame. E-Town led at one point 16-9 but Randolph went on an 11-4 run to knot the set at 20-20. E-Town got a pair of kills by Arun Gopinath to pull ahead 22-20. The 'Cats tried to move out in front by the Blue Jays did enough to win 25-23.
Randolph led 7-5 in the fourth set. Elizabethtown rallied to go up 17-14 at one point. The WildCats answered back with a 5-1 run and three straight kills by Woods and Diallo. The Blue Jays led 24-23 and looked the end the match but the 'Cats fought back to go up 25-24. E-Town knotted the score at 25-25 but kills by Noah Furr (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Bishop Moore) and Mats Beentjes (Beverwijk, The Netherlands/Kennemer College) edged the WildCats to a 27-25 win.
The fifth set saw Elizabethtown take a 6-2 lead but Randolph counter with a 5-0 run to lead 7-6. The Blue Jays rallied to go ahead 12-9. The WildCats pulled to within one points of tying at 13-12 but the Blue Jays scored the last two points on Randolph errors to win the set and the match.
Woods led the 'Cats with 12 kills to go with nine digs. Beentjes added 10 kills and seven digs. Maher led in assists with 46 and tallied nine digs. Furr and Zachary Elbert (Milaca, Minn./Milaca HS) both put up 10 digs each. Dante Reid (Rock Hill, S.C./Rock Hill HS) hit .417 in the match and laid down seven kills. He also had three service aces and four total blocks.
Randolph will travel to Springfield, Ohio next weekend. The WildCats will first play host Wittenberg on Friday night. The match will begin at 5:00 p.m.
