No. 15 Richard Bland Falls in Four Sets at No. 2 Sandhills

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, VA — The No.15 Richard Bland College Women's Volleyball team came up short against a NJCAA Division III nationally ranked opponent on Monday evening, dropping a 1-3 decision to No. 2 Sandhills Community College by scores of 26-28, 25-19, 23-25, and 14-25. With the result, the Statesmen move to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in Region 10 play.

The matchup lived up to its billing early, with Richard Bland nearly taking the opening set before falling 26-28 in extra points. The Statesmen responded with authority in the second frame, hitting .310 as a team and rolling to a 25-19 victory to even the match. From there, Sandhills regrouped to claim a hard-fought third set and used a late surge in the fourth to seal the contest.

Taelin Connolley paced the attack with 10 kills, four service aces, and 17 digs, finishing with a team-high 14.5 points. Gabrielle Meador added 10 kills of her own on a .250 hitting percentage, along with six digs and an ace. Clara Coles was highly efficient at the net, producing six kills on a .400 clip while tying Connolley with four aces.

Setter duo Kaylie Klemm and Rachelle Martin combined to steer the offense with 39 total assists—Klemm distributing 17 with five service aces, and Martin adding 13 assists and an ace. Aliyah Millner contributed four kills and a pair of solo blocks, while libero Kristen Mathes anchored the back row with 12 digs.

As a team, Richard Bland tallied 36 kills and 15 service aces, while limiting Sandhills to a negative hitting percentage in the second set. However, the hosts surged in the final two frames, hitting .393 in the third and .462 in the fourth to close the match.

The Statesmen will look to bounce back in a conference pod tri-match at Davidson-Davie Community College on Saturday, October 11^th. RBC will take on the hosts at 10am, and Guilford Technical Community College at 12pm.

Stay updated on all Women's Volleyball news at: https://www.rbcathletics.com/sports/wvball/index