Volleyball 8/28/2014 12:00:00 PM

VOLLEYBALL GETS SEASON UNDERWAY IN KENTUCKY

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RADFORD, Va. – Radford volleyball opens its 2014 season at this weekend's Eagle Challenge hosted by Morehead State in Morehead, Ky. While in the Bluegrass State, the Highlanders will take on Northern Kentucky, Friday at 2 p.m., and the host Eagles, Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m.

NCAA TOURNAMENT FLAVOR
The Eagle Challenge features a pair of teams that qualified for the 2013 NCAA tournament in Radford and Morehead State. RU advanced to its third NCAA tournament in program history last fall. The Highlanders were sent to Minneapolis, Minn. to battle 10^th-ranked Minnesota in the first round.

Morehead State was also paired with a Big Ten foe for the first round as the Eagles squared off against 18^th-ranked Illinois in Champaign, Ill. Both Radford and MSU lost in straight sets.

SCOUTING THE NORSE
Picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Sun preseason poll, NKU returns the bulk of its roster this season. Last fall, the Norse finished 12-19 overall and 7-11 in the A-Sun, which was seventh in the league.

Northern Kentucky will be led by preseason All-Atlantic Sun pick Jenna Ruble. The 6-foot middle blocker was second on the team in kills (333) and registered a team-best 100 blocks.

Jayden Julian is the team's top returning offensive threat. The junior sent down 362 kills a year ago. NKU also welcomes back setter Taylor Snyder, who led the squad in assists (1,340) and is the top returner on defense with 307 digs.
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SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Morehead State captured its fourth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title in 2013. The Eagles finished the year at 27-8 overall and 15-1 in OVC play.

Seniors Colbey Cameron, Alex Fitzmorris and Laura McDermott are just three of MSU's top returners. The trio landed on the 14-player preseason All-OVC team, which was announced two weeks ago.

Cameron started 32 of 35 matches in 2013, collecting a team-high 1,188 assists and registering 292 digs (tops among returners).

Fitzmorris, who played at Arkansas and Boston College before arriving at Morehead State, competed in all 35 matches for the Eagles last season. The 6-foot-5 right side hitter produced 317 kills in 2013, en route to 16 double-digit kill performances.

Starting in all 35 matches, McDermott packs a punch for MSU in the middle. The 6-foot-1 standout notched 302 kills and 100 blocks in her junior campaign. Complementing McDermott in the middle will be junior Hannah Sigala, who charted a team-best 119 blocks last season.
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RECORDS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN
A pair of Highlanders enter their senior campaigns with program records in their sights. Rachel Wiechecki, who became Radford's first AVCA all-region honoree last December, is 45 kills away from Divona Cox's rally-scoring record of 1,066. On the strength of her single-season record 504 kills in 2013, the 5-foot-10 outside hitter is in great position to surpass that mark early on.

In addition, Wiechecki is on the verge of becoming the program's first 1,000-1,000 performer of the rally-scoring era, and just the sixth overall. Wiechecki has accumulated 1,021 kills and 958 digs during her three years at RU. She would join Anne Jackson, Anne Fontaine, Katie Sherwood, Ami Orr and Laura Marcuson (all from the side-out era) as the only Highlanders to accomplish the milestone.
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Meanwhile, Emma Deininger is well within reach of the rally-scoring blocks record (378), which also belongs to Cox. Deininger, who is coming off a junior campaign where she set the single-season record (145), only needs 41 to eclipse the mark.
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ON DECK
Radford plays inside the Dedmon Center for the first time this season when the Highlanders clash with North Carolina Central, Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.

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