VOLLEYBALL COMPLETES OPENING-DAY SWEEP AGAINST ST. FRANCIS

BOX SCORE BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. – Led by a trio who combined for 24 kills, Radford finished the first day of 2012 competition unbeaten following a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-22) win over St. Francis (N.Y.) in the nightcap of the SFC Terrier Invitational.

The tournament host was coming off a five-game heart-breaking loss to Rider Friday morning. Radford made quick work of the Terriers in its second of back-to-back matches. RU led by as many as eight in the first game, while attacking at a .326 clip.

The second stanza turned out to be even more lopsided, as the Highlanders (2-0) raced out to a 10-5 lead. Radford pushed its advantage to as many as 11, before claiming the game by a 10-point spread.

St. Francis showed resiliency in the third game as it was determined to not go down in straight sets to the Highlanders. The Terriers built an 8-6 lead early on, but a Cheyanne James kill capped a 5-0 spurt that put RU in the driver's seat, 11-8. St. Francis clawed back and eventually reclaimed the lead at 19-17, but the Highlanders won eight of the final 11 points to take their first season sweep.

Emma Deininger, Jesse Miedema and Rachel Wiechecki each totaled eight kills in the contest for the Highlanders. After her double-double against NJIT, Wiechecki flirted with a triple-double against the Terriers, adding 16 digs and seven service aces to her kill total. In addition to her 14-dig performance in the first match, the sophomore accounted for 30 digs on the opening day.

Jena Braden and Christine Beckham combined for 35 handouts in a match taking just under two hours to play.

St. Francis was led by sophomore Jillian Tracey, who had eight kills and freshman Maggie Niu added seven more, while hitting a team-high .538 from the floor.

Freshman setter Kelly O'Halloran recorded a team-high 17 assists, while junior Slavica Stefanovic chipped in with a team-best eight digs.

Radford looks to continue its winning ways when it faces 2011 NCAA Tournament participant Maryland Eastern Shore at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.

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