VOLLEYBALL KNOCKS OUT BUCCANEERS IN STRAIGHT SETS

BOX SCORE CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Radford volleyball team rebounded in a big way Saturday evening, taking down Charleston Southern in straight sets (25-23, 25-23, 25-19) to record its ninth sweep of the season inside the Buccaneer Field House. The Highlanders improve to 13-11, 3-4 in Big South play, while the Buccaneers fall to 10-14, 3-4 in league action.

Jesse Miedema and Rachel Fertitta led RU in the kills department with 10 apiece. A trio of Highlanders tallied double-digit digs, led by Yacine Meyer's 16. Emily Carlin and Katelyn Meeks were credited with 15 and 12 digs, respectively. Jena Braden (19) and Christine Beckham (15) combined for 34 assists.

Sydney Tracy led CSU with a match-high 12 kills, while Kirsten Struksnes dished out a match-high 27 assists. Ashley Higgenbothem and Kayla Klinger totaled 13 and 10 digs, respectively, to lead the hosts' defensive efforts.

The Highlanders got out to an 8-4 lead in the first set, prompting a CSU timeout. The Buccaneers rallied to tie the set at 18, but Radford responded with the next three points to take a 21-18 lead. Charleston Southern tied the set for the fourth time at 23, but the Highlanders got kills from Carlin and Miedema to win the frame.

With the second stanza tied at 9, the Bucs went on a 6-0 run to take a 15-9 lead. A 4-0 spurt by Radford trimmed the visitors' deficit to two (15-13). After CSU scored the next two points for a 17-13 advantage, the Highlanders rallied to tie the set at 20.

The Bucs won the next three points for a 23-20 lead, forcing RU to call a timeout. Out of the break, Carlin put down a kill to spark a 5-0 run to give Radford the 25-23 set two win and the 2-0 edge in the match.

Radford jolted out to a 7-3 advantage in the third set, but the hosts were resilient and fought back to tie the frame at 11. The Highlanders charted the next four points to take a 15-11 lead, prompting CSU to call a timeout. The Bucs cut their deficit to one (16-15), but RU ended the stanza on a 9-4 run to take the match.

The Highlanders return to the Dedmon Center for a three-match homestand, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. date with Winthrop on Friday. Charleston Southern hits the road for its next pair of matches, heading to the mountains of North Carolina. The Bucs face UNC Asheville at 7:00 p.m. Friday before facing Gardner-Webb at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

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