VIRGINIA BEACH -- A hard-hitting 1-2 punch at the net lifted Randolph-Macon College's Yellow Jackets to a 3-0 victory over the host Virginia Wesleyan College Marlins on Wednesday.

Playing before the second largest volleyball crowd in VWC history at the Jane P. Batten Student Centere, the Jackets and Marlins collided in a battle of teams tied at the top of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) standings. Six-foot-one Katie Rossberg (Crozet/Western Albemarle) and 5-10 Courtney Lowers (Suffolk/Nansemond River) combined for 30 of their team's 37 total kills to help R-MC take over the No. 1 spot alone with just one ODAC match remaining for each team.

After falling 25-12 in the first set, the Marlins (20-8, 8-2) pulled together to play more competitively in the next two sets, but could not take control.  The Jackets (17-7, 9-1) produced the scoring spurts they needed midway through each of the final two sets to take the lead for good.

Rossberg finished with a match-high 17 kills and 45 total attacks, while Lowers backed her with 13 kills and 35 attacks.  Sophomore Tiffany Barrett (Stafford/North Stafford) led Virginia Wesleyan with seven kills and senior Alex Lambert (Alexandria/Hayfield) added five kills and 32 attacks.

Virginia Wesleyan struggled through one of their worst hitting nights of the season, finishing with at a negative .024.  R-MC hit at .189.

The Marlins step out of league competition to compete in a trimatch on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the University of Mary Washington. VWC will take on Penn St.-Harrisburg at 3 p.m. and will face the host UMW Eagles at 5 p.m.

--AMDG--