BOX SCORE

RADFORD, Va. – Senior Lauren Clary (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring) had 17 kills, tying a career-high, but UNC Asheville took the final two games to hand Radford a 3-2 (24-26, 25-20, 25-20, 20-25, 10-15) loss in the Highlanders' Big South volleyball opener at the Dedmon Center on Friday night.

Clary banged home 40 percent of her tries, committing just one error, in the loss for Radford (9-7, 0-1 Big South).

The Bulldogs (13-5, 2-0) were paced by 16 kills from Lauren Ficker, who connected at a 46 percent rate, and Cindi Miller's 13 kills. Rachel Guinane put down six kills, including four in the fourth game, and handed out 47 assists for UNC Asheville.

UNC Asheville hit .245 in the win, including a .300-plus clip in games three and four.

Four Highlanders reached double-figure kills, including freshman Mariah Nussbaum (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade Julienne) with her 12. Freshman Desiree Aramburu (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) had 52 assists to go along with her five kills, three aces and 10 digs.

Clary connected six times to highlight a 16-kill performance for Radford in the first game. After sending home her sixth of the game and a service ace on consecutive points, Radford had a 23-20 advantage. Freshman Emily Hayes (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) kept the Radford cushion at three, 24-21, on her kill two points later. UNC Asheville rallied and scored the next four points, capped off by Ficker's kill, to take game one 26-24.

Clary added five more kills in the second game, including back-to-back connections to put Radford up four, 11-7 on the way to a 25-20 game two win. Ficker added five more kills in the second game for the Bulldogs.

In game three, Clary posted five more, and junior Laura Waddell (Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass) contributed five kills, leading the Highlanders to a 25-20 win. UNC Asheville dropped the third, despite hitting at a .300 clip.

Waddell and Hayes finished with 11 kills each for Radford.

Miller and Guinane knocked down four kills each in the fourth game, and Clary was limited to just one connection, as UNC Asheville won 25-20. The Bulldogs hit at a .343 clip in the fourth and took control with a 5-1 run to make it 20-17 en route to the win.

UNC Asheville took an 8-4 advantage in the fifth game, and the Highlanders never recovered, as the Bulldogs went on to the 15-10 win.

Kiley Kent (Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central) and Katelyn Meeks (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin) also hit the 10-dig plateau for Radford with 14 and 13, respectively.

The Bulldogs' Raquel Miotta led all players defensively with 27 digs.

UNCA finished with an 8-4 edge in total blocks.

The Highlanders return to action tomorrow, hosting Gardner-Webb in a Big South match at 2 p.m. UNC Asheville returns to the court next Friday (Oct. 2) at home against Charleston Southern.