GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. --- Randolph-Macon College volleyball saw its record-setting season come to a close on Thursday evening as the Yellow Jackets fell to Carthage College, 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 28-26), in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament quarterfinals. R-MC stands as the first ODAC squad to reach the final eight of the national tourney.
Senior Katie Rossberg (Crozet, Va. / Western Albemarle) led the Randolph-Macon with a match-best 17 kills and 13 digs, while classmate Courtney Lowers (Suffolk, Va. / Nansemond River) also tallied a double-double with 12 kills and a match-high 19 digs.
The Yellow Jackets held a 4-1 advantage to start the first set and expanded it to 8-2. The Lady Reds used an 8-4 spurt to pull within two points at 12-10. The set was tied at 17-all before R-MC regained the lead with a 2-0 run. Carthage gained the advantage late-on, but the Yellow Jackets tied the match at 22-22 before eventually falling, 25-23.
The Lady Reds held a 10-5 lead in the second set, but the Yellow Jackets used an 8-5 stretch to pull within two points of Carthage. R-MC stayed within three points of Carthage through 22-19 before the Lady Reds claimed the set, 25-21.
The third set was tied at 4-4 before Rossberg served eight points to give the Yellow Jackets a 12-5 advantage. The Lady Reds put together a 9-3 spurt to pull within one point, 15-14, before R-MC expanded its advantage to 21-14 with a 6-0 run. Carthage used another 9-2 run to tie the set at 23-all. R-MC held a 24-23 edge before the Lady Reds tied the set again at 24-all. The score was tied twice more as the Yellow Jackets forced the set into extra points before Carthage won the set, 28-26.
Senior Riley Martin (Crozet, Va. / Western Albemarle) led the team with 18 assists. Sophomore Erin Quinn (Morrisville, NC / Cardinal Gibbons) added 16 assists for R-MC. Sophomore Samantha Sallade (Newport News, Va. / Peninsula Catholic) paced R-MC with 16 digs.
Stephanie Korbakes and Emily Heuermann led Carthage with 13 kills apiece. Karen Chin dished out 37 assists, while Luci Krenzke picked up a team-best 18 digs.
Randolph-Macon registered several team and individual highlights throughout the season. R-MC went 11-0 to earn the top seed in the ODAC Tournament. The Yellow Jackets used that to claim its fourth conference title to earn the ODAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Bill Rogers recorded his 300th career victory in a 3-0 win over Misericordia on Sept. 4. The Yellow Jackets headlined the conference awards with Rogers earning ODAC Coach of the Year and Lowers receiving Player-of-the-Year accolades. Joining Lowers on First Team All-ODAC were Rossberg and Sallade. Quinn received Second-Team honors.
The Yellow Jackets made their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and their first since 2012 in the Galloway Regional, hosted by Stockton University. R-MC defeated Stevenson 3-1 in the first round before defeating Christopher Newport and Stockton to advance to the National Quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
Several players etched their names in the Randolph-Macon record books. Lowers was the first student-athlete in R-MC volleyball history to receive a spot on the All-American list. An All-South Region selection and three-time ODAC Player of the Week this season, she is Randolph-Macon's all-time leader in career kills with 1,467, which ranks eighth in the ODAC record books. She finished the season with 506 winners, third-most in ODAC history and first on the R-MC single season list. She is the first player in the conference post 500 or more kills since 2004.
Rossberg, who received ODAC Player of the Week accolades this season, finished 2015 with 376 kills, sixth in program history, and moved up to seventh on the R-MC All-Time list with 1,057 winners.
Martin completes her career fifth all-time at R-MC with 1,952 assists. She finished this season with 552 assists. Martin is also ninth with 128 service aces.
Quinn wraps up her sophomore season with 696 assists, good for ninth in program history. She is also 10th on the R-MC career List for assists with 1,161.
Sallade finishes her sophomore season as the record holder for digs in a season with 611 and is eighth on the R-MC career list with 1,079.
Beaver completes her second season for the Yellow Jackets with 138 blocks, sixth in program history. She is 51 blocks away from moving into the Yellow Jackets' career top-10.