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RADFORD, Va. – Reigning Big South Freshman of the Week Jordan Watson matched her season high of 15 kills in leading Radford to a thrilling five-set triumph over CSU Bakersfield in nonconference volleyball action inside the Dedmon Center Wednesday night. Set scores were 21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 19-25, 15-11.
 
"It was a hard-fought win for us against a really good CSU Bakersfield team," head coach Marci Jenkins said. "Our blocking was outstanding tonight, as well as our service game. Our staff did a great job of making adjustments to help us earn a great win for our program."
 
Cheyanne James continued her torrid attack with 14 kills, while Megan Short and Emma Deininger chipped in eight apiece. Jena Braden (29) and Rachel Flores (17) combined for 46 assists for the Highlanders (3-1).
 
Rachel Wiechecki, who moved past Kate McHugh for 10th all-time in career kills at Radford with six tonight, led the defensive efforts with a season-best 15 digs. The junior has 562 winners in her time at RU.
 
Not only was Watson sensational on offense, but also defensively. The Pilot, Va. native recorded five of the Highlanders' season-high 16 blocks, a category they lead the Big South in.
 
Debora Araujo blasted a match-high 16 kills to pace three Roadrunners (2-2) in double figures. Araujo was credited with 13 digs to notch a double-double. Molly O'Hagan (15) and Kelsee Sawyer (11) were the other double-digit scorers. Fernanda Goncalves dished out a match-high 58 assists and Mariah Alvidrez absorbed a match-best 24 attacks.
 
Radford started out cool, only hitting .161 in the opening frame as CSUB claimed a 25-21 victory. Tied at 13, Sawyer and Araujo put down three-straight kills to create enough separation for the visitors to keep the Highlanders at bay for the remainder of the set.
 
Behind seven total blocks and superior serving, RU evened the match heading into intermission. The Highlanders opened with a 12-7 advantage early in the second stanza. Back-to-back aces by Megan McKenzie extended their lead to 16-9. However, the Roadrunners countered with a 9-1 surge to jump in front, 18-17. The two sides were locked at 23 when a Watson rocket and a Wiechecki solo rejection handed the hosts the equalizer.
 
Out of break, Radford's defense remained strong as it held CSU Bakersfield to a .059 attack percentage en route to the 25-21 win in set three. Trailing 9-3, the Roadrunners slowly chipped away at the deficit. They finally closed the gap to one, 22-21, but a kill by Wiechecki and a kill and a block by James clinched the frame for RU.
 
CSUB hit .312 in the fourth set to win 25-19 and force a fifth game. The visitors built a five-point advantage (10-5) in the beginning stages of the frame. Radford got within 11-9, but that was as close as the squad could get.
 
In the deciding fifth set, the Highlanders hit a sizzling .412. Trailing 6-3, back-to-back winners by Short propelled RU to within one. Following a kill by Danika Youngblood, which gave the Roadrunners a 11-10 edge, Radford ended the match on a 5-0 rally to clinch the match. Blocking was critical in the final stages as Watson and Deininger combined for the final two points off two block assists.
 
After a 3-1 start to open the season, the Highlanders hit the road for the first time this season. Radford travels to Fairfax, Va. for George Mason's Patriot Invitational, which begins Friday with a clash against Temple at 5 p.m.