LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Randolph WildCats women's volleyball team battled through four sets against the Mary Baldwin Fighting Squirrels on Tuesday night, splitting the first two sets before taking control of the match with wins in the final two. The 'Cats prevailed, 25-13, 22-25, 25-14, 25-16.
Randolph came out hot in the opening set, using a late 7-2 run to take control. The 'Cats capitalized on key Mary Baldwin errors and quickly reached the 25-point mark to take an early lead. The Fighting Squirrels responded in the second set, battling back and stopping several key WildCat rallies late to even the match.
The third set remained close early before a kill from Nadia Warrior sparked a 7-0 Randolph run. The 'Cats' offense continued to shine, while the defense kept Mary Baldwin from mounting a comeback to give Randolph a 2-1 lead.
Mary Baldwin took a 15-14 lead at the media break in the fourth set, but it would be the Fighting Squirrels' final advantage of the night. Three consecutive kills from Kelsey Bowler sparked a Randolph run, as the 'Cats closed the set on an 11-1 surge to put away Mary Baldwin and secure the match.
Bowler led the Randolph offense with 13 kills, while Caroline Towle added a team-high eight aces. Warrior and Makayla Waiters each recorded four blocks, while Carly Schopp once again directed the offense with 33 assists. Destanie Ambers recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 19 digs.
As a team, Randolph finished with 47 kills, 12 aces and eight blocks. The WildCat defense held the Fighting Squirrels to a .040 attack percentage, with Mary Baldwin committing 24 errors on the night.
With the win, Randolph improves to 11-6 on the season. The 'Cats return to ODAC play on Friday, Oct. 9, traveling to Washington and Lee for a 6:30 p.m. first serve.
