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RADFORD, Va. – Junior Rachel Wiechecki recorded her 18th career double-double and Radford responded from a 1-0 deficit to earn a 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-14) nonconference volleyball victory over Kennesaw State in the Highlander Invitational finale Saturday night inside the Dedmon Center.
 
"I thought we did a good job making adjustments in the second set," head coach Marci Jenkins said. "We got back to what we do well. The serve and pass game was really good for us, so offensively we were able to go faster. Our blocking was also pretty successful, which is very encouraging."
 
Leading the offensive attack for RU (2-1) was Wiechecki with a season-high 19 kills, in addition to her 10 digs. She also contributed two aces en route to all-tournament honors. Freshman Jordan Watson had the best match of her young career, spiking 15 winners and notching three total blocks.
 
For the third-straight match, Cheyanne James pounded down double-digit kills to join Wiechecki on the all-tournament team. The sophomore was credited with 12 against the Owls (1-2). Megan Short provided the fourth Highlander with double-digit kills, dumping 11 on KSU. Jena Braden assisted on a season-best 39 attacks, while Rachel Flores passed out 12 helpers.
 
Defensively, the Highlanders were anchored by freshman Emma Wroblicky's season-high 13 digs. The hosts held a 12.5-5 advantage in blocks, a 61-46 favor in kills and a 44-40 edge in digs. RU hit at a .377 clip, while holding the Owls to a .176 mark.
 
All-tournament selection Kelly Marcinek and Keyaira Stevenson paced Kennesaw State's attack with 11 kills apiece. Sara Metroka finished with 35 assists and Camille Pedraza registered 10 digs for the visitors.
 
Marcinek connected on six kills in the opening frame, which saw KSU bolt out to a 10-5 favor. Radford rallied behind its superior blocking to tie the set at 15 following a triple rejection from Short, Flores and Wiechecki, and an attack error off a Marcinek swing. However, the Highlanders could not push ahead as KSU finished off the set on a 10-7 run.
 
In the second stanza, the Owls once again staked an early advantage (4-1). A Stevenson attack error sandwiched between kills by Emma Deininger and Wiechecki, put Radford on top (11-9). Short's kill in the late stages of the set gave the Highlanders their largest lead of seven (21-14), and they never looked back en route to squaring the match at the break.
 
Out of intermission, Wiechecki was on fire, unleashing eight kills. Tied at 8, the junior launched one of her rockets to ignite a 6-2 spurt that put RU ahead for good. The visitors clawed back to within two (23-21), before Short dashed their hopes of a comeback. The Arlington, Texas native roped a thunderous kill and combined with Watson for a block to earn the Highlanders the final two points of the set.
 
Behind four kills from Watson, Radford built a 10-3 lead early in the fourth frame. The large lead proved to be enough as the Highlanders captured the set, 25-14.
 
Radford returns to the court Wednesday, Sept. 4 against CSU Bakersfield. First serve is set for 7 p.m. inside the Dedmon Center.
 
All-Tournament Team

Ashley Edmond, Eastern Kentucky, MVP
Cheyanne James, Radford
Rachel Wiechecki, Radford
Kelly Marcinek, Kennesaw State
Aleena McDaniel, N.C. A&T