VOLLEYBALL VISITS CHARLESTON FOR THE CITADEL TOURNAMENT

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Site: Charleston, S.C. | McAlister Field House
Series vs. DePaul: 1-1
Series vs. S.C. State: 1-0
Series vs. The Citadel: 2-0
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RADFORD, Va. – Coming off a convincing 3-1 victory over James Madison, Radford volleyball hits the road for The Citadel Tournament hosted by the Bulldogs Friday and Saturday in Charleston, S.C. The Highlanders are set to face DePaul, South Carolina State and The Citadel.

DEPAUL SERIES AT A GLANCE
This will be the third encounter between Radford and the Blue Demons as the series is split, 1-1. These two sides last met on Sept. 10, 2010 in the DePaul Invitational. With the Highlanders trailing 2-1 in the match, they responded with wins in the fourth and fifth frames to pull off the come-from-behind victory over the Blue Demons.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEMONS
Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week Vesela Zapryanova blasts 3.48 kills per set to pace the DePaul attack. She is also near the top of the squad in digs, averaging 3.43 a frame. Zapryanova has played a large role in the Blue Demons' undefeated start, as the squad is 6-0 for the first time since 2001.

Colleen Smith has assisted on 198 attacks for DePaul, while Allyson Rooks averages a team-high 3.90 digs per set. Natalie Rizzo holds down the blocking duties at 1.19 rejections a set.

S.C. STATE SERIES AT A GLANCE
Radford blanked the Bulldogs (25-18, 25-20, 25-17) in the two teams' only meeting on Sept. 5, 2009 in the second match of the Highlanders' inaugural home tournament.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Desire Waller's 3.50 kills per set lead S.C. State through its six matches. Melanie Williams has 113 assists, while Victoria Ferguson averages 2.33 digs per set.

THE CITADEL SERIES AT A GLANCE
In their two encounters with the SoCon member, the Highlanders won by 3-0 and 3-2 margins. The last meeting occurred one season ago at RU's home tournament. After falling behind 2-1, Radford rallied to win sets four and five 25-23 and 15-11, respectively.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The Citadel makes its first appearance of the season inside McAlister Field House this weekend. Behind the trio of Kate Briggs (30 kills), Lauren Hart (29) and Ise d'Angelo (28), the Bulldogs are searching for their first win of 2013.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
Jordan Watson is the top offensive weapon for Radford, averaging 3.23 kills per set, which rank fourth in the Big South. Rachel Wiechecki and Cheyanne James are right behind at 2.97 and 2.58, respectively. Jena Braden leads the Highlanders in assists with 255. Emma Deininger has a team-high 42 blocks, which rank second in the league.

Radford holds the top spot in the Big South in hitting percentage (.242). In addition, the Highlanders rank second in assists per set (11.64), second in kills per set (12.64), second in blocks per set (2.58) and sixth in aces per set (1.39).

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Following their stellar play last week, Deininger and Watson were selected the Big South's Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively, as announced by league officials Monday afternoon.

In collecting her first Big South accolade since earning conference freshman of the year in 2011, Deininger played in 17 sets, notching 35 kills on a .312 attack, with one dig and 20 blocks in four matches last week.

For back-to-back weeks, the Big South selected Watson as the Crons Brand Freshman of the Week. The Pilot, Va. native saw action in 17 sets, ripping a team-high 60 kills on a .272 attack, in addition to 14 digs and 13 blocks.

RECORD WATCH
A number of current Highlanders are making their marks on the program's record books. In the James Madison match, Wiechecki moved past Lauren Clary for sixth place on the all-time kills list at Radford with 615. The junior is already sixth in kills per set (2.65) and sixth in aces (81). Braden is fifth all-time in the assists' category with 1,294.

Defensively, Deininger (235) and senior Jesse Miedema (153) are fourth and 10th, respectively, in total blocks. In addition, Deininger is fourth in block assists (210), while Miedema is seventh (143).

UP NEXT
Radford remains on the road for a Wednesday match with Elon at 6 p.m. The Phoenix defeated RU, 3-2, last season inside the Dedmon Center.

FOLLOWING THE HIGHLANDERS
Get the latest scoop on Radford volleyball through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For further updates throughout the season, follow @RUGameDay and @RadfordVB on Twitter.

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