NO. 1 RADFORD REACHES NINTH BSC CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH WITH 3-2 WIN

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CLINTON, S.C. – Top-seeded Radford fought off five match points in the fifth set to knock out two-time defending tournament champion Liberty, 3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 17-25, 25-20, 21-19) Friday evening in the semifinals of the 2013 Big South Volleyball Championship at the Templeton Center.

With the win, the Highlanders move to 24-9 to match its highest win total since 2001. In addition, RU advances to its ninth conference championship match and first since 2011. No. 4 seed Liberty ends its season at 11-18.

"I cannot say enough about the heart of our players," head coach Marci Jenkins said. "That was one of the best matches I have ever been a part of. Those were two teams playing their tails off out there. I also want to give a lot of credit to Liberty. They are the two-time defending champions for a reason. They are well coached and have tremendous athletes. We showed incredible resiliency to be able to pull through after having our backs against the wall. This was a huge win for our program tonight."

Awaiting Radford in Sunday's championship will be No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina, which defeated No. 3 seed High Point in straight sets (25-12, 25-18, 26-24) in Friday's other semifinal.

Rachel Wiechecki matched her career high of 27 kills, which allowed the junior to break 1,000 for her career, in leading three Highlanders with double-digit kills. On top of her offense, the Big South Player of the Year added 16 digs for her program single-season record 20^th double-double. Cheyanne James crushed 16 kills and absorbed a team-best 19 attacks to chart her 14^th double-double of the season.

Emma Deininger provided 13 kills and five blocks. Jena Braden assisted on a match-high 48 RU attacks, while Kelby Jackson chipped in 12 digs. Savannah Cantrell delivered five blocks.

Lillie Happel ended her career with 18 kills and 12 digs for Liberty. Kendle Rollins hit .579 en route to 12 kills and a match-high six blocks. Jade Craycraft finished with 10 kills and 41 assists. Gabrielle Shipe and Becca Haraf dropped in 24 and 13 digs, respectively.

Tied at 11 in the opening set, Liberty made the first push by scoring four of the next five points to grab a 15-12 edge. Still trailing at 19-16, Wiechecki obliterated a kill to ignite a 4-0 run for the Highlanders. Back-to-back rockets by Nzea McQuitery helped the Lady Flames reclaim the lead at 21-20. From there, RU ended the frame on a 5-0 surge to earn the 25-21 victory. Wiechecki guided the offense with seven kills for the Highlanders. Happel contributed six kills for the opposition.

Down 16-10 in the second stanza, Liberty responded with an 11-0 run to seize momentum and secure a 25-20 win to even the match at intermission. Rollins put down six kills for the Lady Flames in the set, while James had five kills for Radford.

The Highlanders fell behind again in the third set as Liberty stormed out to an 18-10 favor. Radford acquired three of the next four points to close the gap to 19-13. However, the Lady Flames held on down the stretch for a 25-17 triumph.

Behind a .464 hitting percentage, the Highlanders captured a 25-20 win in the fourth frame. Tied at 19, Deininger's kill on the next rally initiated a 5-0 streak for RU to create enough separation to force a fifth set.

In what was one of the most epic final sets in championship history, the Highlanders were able to come from behind and earn a 21-19 victory. Caroline Douglas hammered a kill to supply Liberty with its first match point at 14-12. Deininger and Jesse Miedema combined for the next two points to tie the stanza at 14.

The two sides were tied five more times with the last coming at 19. After Cantrell deposited a winner for a 20-19 edge, Wiechecki went back to the service line. In perhaps the most crucial point of her career, she dialed up her 113^th career ace to send the Highlanders into Sunday's final.

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