VOLLEYBALL CRUISES PAST S.C. STATE, 3-0

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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Radford's defense returned to its stifling ways Saturday morning as the Highlanders held S.C. State to .083 on the attack en route to a 3-0 (25-10, 25-21, 25-23) triumph over the Bulldogs inside McAlister Field House.

"We served well and created problems for them offensively," head coach Marci Jenkins said. "We had a lot of people involved, so it was a nice team effort."

Rachel Wiechecki led Radford (7-3) with a match-high 12 kills, in addition to eight digs. Cheyanne James was very efficient, knocking down eight kills on 11 attempts for a .727 attack clip. Jordan Watson finished with seven kills. Jena Braden racked up a match-high 24 assists, while Kelby Jackson accumulated a match-best 14 digs.

Desire Waller paced the S.C. State (0-8) attack with 11 kills. Victoria Ferguson posted a team-high 12 digs, while Melanie Williams charted 20 assists.

James hit .700 in the opening set to propel Radford to the 25-10 win. Ahead 4-2, Megan Short blistered an attack that sparked a 6-0 surge to widen the Highlanders' margin to eight. S.C. State fought back to set its deficit at 15-10. On the ensuing rally, Wiechecki clobbered a kill that set off a 10-0 run to close the first frame.

Tied at 7 in the second stanza, the Bulldogs used a 4-0 spurt to seize an 11-7 edge. Still trailing by four (17-13), Rachel Flores' kill generated a 5-0 streak that lifted RU back on top, 18-17. Tied at 19, the Highlanders utilized a 4-0 run to create enough separation for the 25-21 triumph in the frame.

S.C. State was clicking on all cylinders in the early stages of the third set en route to manufacturing a 10-4 advantage. However, Radford rallied and eventually tied it at 11 following an ace from Flores. The Bulldogs would not go away easily as they mounted a late rally to burst ahead, 22-20. Nonetheless, the Highlanders claimed five of the next six points to earn the sweep.

Radford is back on the court at 6 p.m. against The Citadel. Live stats and live video will be available.

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