Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Group-20141011-3
RUHighlanderPhotos.com
0
Liberty LIBERTY 22-6, 9-1 BSC
3
Winner Radford RAD 18-7, 8-2 BSC
Liberty LIBERTY
22-6, 9-1 BSC
0
Final
3
Radford RAD
18-7, 8-2 BSC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Liberty LIBERTY 18 27 16 (0)
Radford RAD 25 29 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

RADFORD DEFENDS HOME COURT WITH RESOUNDING 3-0 WIN OVER LIBERTY



RADFORD, Va. – Two streaks were on the line Friday night inside the Dedmon Center. Radford entered with a nine-match home winning streak, while Liberty had not lost in its last 13 outings. After gritting out the first two sets, the Highlanders rolled in the third en route to an electrifying 3-0 (25-18, 29-27, 25-16) victory over Liberty in Big South volleyball action.
 
With the win, Radford improved to 18-7 overall and 8-2 in league play. More importantly, the Highlanders gained sole possession of second place in the Big South standings with Coastal Carolina's 3-1 loss to Winthrop. The Lady Flames (22-6, 9-1 Big South) remain in the top spot, one win ahead of RU, after suffering their first loss since Sept. 19.
 
"I say it all the time, when we can serve and pass like we did tonight, our team is tough to beat," head coach Marci Jenkins said. "To hit .333 against a strong defensive team like Liberty, speaks to how well we competed. I am pleased with our effort, and I am thankful for our fans that came out to support us. Our team feeds off their energy, and I know that played a huge role in this match."
 
Rachel Wiechecki added to her conference-leading double-double tally by recording her 18th of the season behind a match-high 15 kills and 13 digs. After not playing in the first set, Maddie Palmer burst on the scene with 10 kills on 18 swings (.500) in the final two stanzas to complement her senior teammate.
 
Savanna Burton also added fuel to the fire, hitting .400 on her way to eight kills. The engineer guiding the offensive juggernaut was Jena Braden, who passed out a staggering 46 assists in just three sets of action. Radford finished with an impressive 52-36 advantage in kills.
 
Many could say the second set was the back-breaker for Liberty as the visitors held the lead for the majority of the frame. The Lady Flames seemed as if they were well on their way to tying the match at intermission, leading 21-16 late in the stanza.
 
However, Palmer's rocket ignited a 6-0 surge for the Highlanders to push RU on top, 22-21. From there, the two in-state rivals tied the score on six more occasions before Kelby Jackson dialed up her second ace of the set to clinch the 29-27 triumph for Radford.
 
Perhaps seeing their opponent deflated, the Highlanders jumped on Liberty in the third set, hitting a blistering .567 en route to the 25-16 win. Wiechecki, Burton and Palmer all hit .500 or better in the frame.
 
Caroline Douglas and Hannah Weidner contributed 11 kills apiece for the Lady Flames, who were held to a .198 hitting percentage. They entered the match ranked second in the Big South in hitting percentage at .244. Gabrielle Shipe dug a match-best 15 attacks to pace the Liberty defense.

Radford embarks on its last road trip before the conference tournament when the team travels to Campbell (Nov. 7) and High Point (Nov. 8) for a pair of Big South tilts.
 
Print Friendly Version