BOX SCORE

RADFORD, Va. – Kelley Taylor finished with 24 kills and Winthrop connected on 12 of its 16 attempts (.625) in game five to hold off Radford 3-2 (25-16, 26-24, 17-25, 23-25, 15-8) in Big South volleyball action Friday evening at the Dedmon Center.

The loss drops the Highlanders to 12-17 and 2-11 in league play, while third-place Winthrop moves to 17-8 and 9-3 with its 19th straight win over RU.

Despite the setback, senior Lauren Clary (Roanoke, Va. / Cave Spring) was one of three Highlanders to hit the 10-kill plateau finding the floor with a season-high 19 on 52 attempts for a .288 clip. Clary also added 13 digs for her third double-double of the campaign. Joining Clary in double figures were freshmen Mariah Nussbaum (Dayton, Ohio, Chaminade Julienne) and Emily Hayes (Bartlett, Ill. / Bartlett), who recorded 13 and 10, respectively.

Defensively, Katelyn Meeks (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin) led all players with 20 digs, while Desiree Aramburu (Chicago, Ill. / Mother McAuley) picked up 15 and set up 49 of the Highlanders' 59 kills.

After taking the opener by a 25-16 margin, the Eagles erased a six-point deficit (16-10) in game two to rally past Radford, 26-24, and take a 2-0 lead into the break. Both teams went on lengthy spurts in the second to find themselves deadlocked 24-24 before a Highlander attack error and Ginny Talley service ace clinched the frame.

Game three featured 12 ties and six lead changes before Radford used an 8-2 run midway through the stanza to force a fourth game with a 25-17 triumph.

Radford, which raced out to a 17-9 advantage in game four, was forced to burn its final timeout when the Eagles slowly chipped away and cut the deficit to one, 24-23. Following the stoppage, Clary extended the match with her 18th kill of the night.

In the fifth and decisive game, Winthrop scored seven of the first 10 points and didn't allow the Highlanders closer than three the rest of the way.

Becca Toor (13) and Sara Felts (10) also finished with double-digit kills for Winthrop. Kelsey Hall, who entered tonight's tilt tops in the league in assists per game, tallied a match-high 57 on 138 total attempts. Eagles' libero Talley led her club in digs with 17.

Winthrop outhit Radford .271 to .178 and held a comfortable 8-4 advantage in blocks. The Highlanders finished with a 6-5 edge in service aces.

The Highlanders are 5-3 in five-game matches and have forced a fifth game when trailing 2-0 three times this season.

Radford will conclude its brief homestand with a 2 p.m. contest against Coastal Carolina Saturday at the Dedmon Center.