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Volleyball

NO. 1 RADFORD SET TO CLASH WITH NO. 2 COASTAL CAROLINA

 

LIVE STATS  |  ESPN3

CLINTON, S.C. – For the ninth time in program history, No. 1 seed Radford will be playing for the Big South Volleyball Championship when the Highlanders collide with No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina in Sunday's final at 2 p.m. inside the Templeton Center. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
CCU SERIES AT A GLANCE
The Chanticleers have won three straight in the all-time series, which they lead 25-17. Two of the previous three meetings have gone five sets, including this year's encounter, which Coastal won (15-25, 25-17, 25-22, 26-28, 15-12). Sunday's match marks the fifth time the Chants and Radford will meet in the conference tournament, with Coastal owning a 3-1 edge. However, the two sides have never met in the championship match. The Chants knocked Radford out of the tournament last year, 3-1, in the quarterfinals.
 
SCOUTING THE CHANTICLEERS
Coastal Carolina (19-11) is making its seventh trip to the championship match, including its second straight after falling to Liberty in four sets last year. The Chants got to the final by defeating host Presbyterian College (3-0) and No. 3 seed High Point (3-0).
 
All-Big South honorees Gabriella Horvath (326) and Lian Bernett (313) lead Coastal's offense. Lauren Alejo, a second-team all-conference selection, has 1,121 assists on the season. Lindsay Gill anchors the defense with her 491 digs (4.09 dps). First-team all-conference member Kindra Bailey has tallied a team-best 103 blocks for the Chants.
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
Radford enters the match with a 24-9 record after defeating Liberty in the semifinals for its sixth win in a row. Rachel Wiechecki (486), Cheyanne James (361) and Emma Deininger (282) pace the Highlanders offensively in kills. Wiechecki has racked up 51 aces, in addition to ranking second in the league for kills per set (3.77) and eighth in digs per set (3.56). She also leads the league with her 20 double-doubles.

Jena Braden guides the team in assists having registered 1,083 so far this year. Deininger leads the team in total blocks (137), which is the highest mark in the Big South and is a program single-season record.
 
RECORD WATCH
A number of current Highlanders are making their marks on the program's record books. Wiechecki continues to chase the top mark for career kills, which is currently held by Divona Cox who cranked 1,066 kills from 2002-05. The junior, who has 1,003 career kills, joined Cox as the only Highlanders to record 1,000+ kills for a career in the rally scoring era. She is also second in career kills per set (3.07), second in double-doubles (37), tied for second in aces (113) and fifth in digs (942). Braden is third all-time in the assists' department with 2,122, while Rachel Flores is 10th with 375.
 
Defensively, Deininger (330) and Miedema (187) are second and sixth, respectively, in total blocks. In addition, Deininger is second in block assists (291), while Miedema is sixth (175). Deininger also knows how to get it done offensively as the junior is seventh all-time in career kills with 692.
 
ROAD TO REDEMPTION
The Highlanders ended the regular season at 11-3 in Big South play. Their three losses came against Gardner-Webb, Liberty and Coastal Carolina. Ironically, Radford's road to the championship match provides the Highlanders with an opportunity to atone for each of those losses having already beaten the Runnin' Bulldogs (quarterfinals) and the Lady Flames (semifinals).
 
TOURNEY TIME
Radford entered the conference championship as the top seed for the fourth time in its program history and first time since 2001. The Highlanders' eighth regular season conference crown is also the first since 2001, and just the fourth RU has won outright. Radford will be gunning for its fifth league tournament title, including its first since 2000.
 
CHRISTMAS IN NOVEMBER
Nine accolades were added to Radford's record-breaking season Tuesday afternoon when the Big South announced its annual volleyball postseason honors as voted by the league's 10 head coaches. RU received three of the four major awards.
 
For the first time in program history, five Highlanders were selected All-Big South. Headlining the group was Big South Player of the Year Rachel Wiechecki. Joining her classmate on the all-conference first team was Emma Deininger, who was also recognized as the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Cheyanne James represented Radford on the second team, while Kelby Jackson and Jordan Watson were named to the all-freshman team.
 
Only two years removed from earning the 2011 Big South Coach of the Year distinction, head coach Marci Jenkins was chosen once again for the award after steering the Highlanders to their eighth conference regular season championship. They were predicted to finish sixth in the preseason poll.

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