Box Score
LANCASTER, Pa. – Randolph-Macon narrowly defeated Franklin & Marshall 3-2 (19-25, 25-19, 25-14, 18-25, 16-14) Friday night in non-conference action at the Mayser Center in the opening match of the F&M Scramble. The win took the Yellow Jackets to 6-1 on the year as the Diplomats fell to 4-2.
F&M again found itself down a set and in a hole in the fourth, this time by a score of 6-3. However, the Diplomats used four straight points from the serve of Shae Murphy after a Barbara Kapustin kill to take an 8-6 lead. Moments later, Allison Edelstein used three aces and four straight points to give F&M a 15-10 lead. The lead proved plenty as the Diplomats took the fourth set, 25-18.
The final frame began well for F&M, taking a 4-0 lead in the early going. The Diplomats hit well, using 10 kills in the shortened set to take the match down to the wire. However, Randolph-Macon logged its highest hitting percentage of the match (.346) and just beat out F&M for the set and match, 16-14.
The Diplomats came out hot in the first, hitting .410 on 19 kills with just three errors. An early run pushed F&M to a 13-7 lead which proved to be plenty as the Diplomats coasted to a 25-19 victory.
The Yellow Jackets responded in the second by hitting .325 with just one error to take the set, 25-19.
Randolph-Macon used more strong hitting in the third, leading by as much as 20-8. The Yellow Jackets took the frame 25-14 to set up the dramatic finish.
Ellie Ezekiel had a season-high 15 kills to lead F&M. She was joined in double digits by Cassie Garison (12) and Rachel Umberger (10).
Edelstein notched four aces and again bettered her career high as she earned 49 assists. Both Alyssa Sanchez (24) and Ezekiel (21) surpassed 20 digs.
The Diplomats return to action in the F&M Scramble tomorrow when they take on Lebanon Valley at 11:00 a.m. and Penn St.-Altoona at 1:00 p.m. in the Mayser Center.
