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Volleyball

RADFORD GEARS UP FOR TUESDAY TUSSLE WITH HAMPTON



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RADFORD, Va. – For the fifth time this season, the Radford volleyball team will play a match against a 2013 NCAA tournament qualifier when Hampton visits the Dedmon Center Tuesday evening for a 6 p.m. in-state battle.
 
SCOUTING THE LADY PIRATES
Champion of the MEAC last season, Hampton is already off to a descent start in 2014. Like RU, the Lady Pirates are 5-2 through seven matches. They went 2-1 over the weekend, with their only defeat coming at the hands of tournament host James Madison in four sets.
 
The Lady Pirates ended their 2013 season at 19-11, which included an appearance in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They return a large part of that squad, including AVCA All-American Vendula Strakova. The 6-foot right side hitter has picked up right where she left off, leading Hampton in kills per set (6.12). She already has 159 kills through seven matches, and was named AVCA national player of the week for the first week of the season.
 
Senior setter Kitija Megne, a transfer from Virginia Tech, manages the offense with her team-leading 321 assists. Defensively, Krista Kraskura averages 3.15 digs per set, while Kennedy Kenney tops the blocking efforts with 24 for the Lady Pirates. Kraskura was an All-MEAC performer in 2013. BIG SOUTH RANKINGS
Below is a breakdown of the categories Radford has a Top-3 Big South team ranking:
 
Opponent Hitting Percentage
  1. Radford (.140)
  2. Coastal Carolina (.163)
  3. High Point (.177)
Blocks Per Set
  1. Coastal Carolina (2.15)
  2. Radford (2.07)
  3. Winthrop (2.00)
Aces
  1. Radford (44)
  2. Coastal Carolina (35)
  3. UNC Asheville (30)

Below is a breakdown of the category Radford has a Top-3 Big South individual ranking:
 
Aces
  1. Rachel Wiechecki, Radford (13)
  2. Mary Crema, Campbell (11)
  3. Christine Lakatos, UNC Asheville (10)

RECORDS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN
A trio 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, broke Divona Cox's rally-scoring kills record of 1,066 last Tuesday night against N.C. Central.
 
In addition, Wiechecki became the program's sixth 1,000-1,000 performer at RU's season-opening tournament in Morehead, Ky. Wiechecki has accumulated 1,109 kills and 1,060 digs during her time at RU. She joined Anne Jackson, Anne Fontaine, Ami Orr, Katie Sherwood and Laura Marcuson as the only Highlanders to accomplish the milestone.
 
The Wilmington, Del. native has the potential to chase down the rally-scoring digs record, which is held by former teammate, Katelyn Meeks (1,506). Wiechecki also ranks second in aces at 126. Kiley Kent owns the rally-scoring record with 174. 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 19 to eclipse the mark. Senior setter Jena Braden is climbing the rally-scoring era's Top-10 chart for assists. The New Knoxville, Ohio native currently has 2,415, which rank third in program history. ON DECK
Radford heads to Boone, N.C. for its third tournament of the season. Appalachian State will be the host, as the Mountaineers welcome Maryland, Georgia State and the Highlanders to the Holmes Center for the two-day event.
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