VOLLEYBALL BEGINS SECOND HALF OF CONFERENCE SLATE FRIDAY

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SETTING THE STAGE

Following a week break, the Radford volleyball team returns to competition and begins the second half of its Big South schedule with a pair of road matches this weekend.
The Highlanders will travel to Gardner-Webb Friday at 7 p.m., before heading over to Winthrop Saturday for a 4 p.m. matchup.
Live Stats (Gardner-Webb)
Live Stats | Live Video (Winthrop)

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Records: 16-4, 7-1 Big South
Despite having its seven-match winning streak stopped in its last outing, Radford begins the second wave of conference play in first place, just ahead of Charleston Southern (5-1) and Liberty (6-2).
Through the first half, the Highlanders lead the way hitting percentage, kills per set, assists per set and aces per set. They rank second in opponent hitting percentage, fourth in digs per set and fifth in blocks per set.
Kelby Jackson will be seeing her first action since becoming the program's all-time leader in career digs (1,509). Jackson is on a run of 11 consecutive double-digit dig efforts and totaled 48 in the last two contests.
Maddie Palmer put down 78 kills in the previous four matches and has recorded at least 14 in seven straight outings. She has a Big South-leading 305 for the season, including 133 in the conference play.
Haley Kleespies is averaging 11.18 assists per set and her season total of 805 is over 100 more than any other player in the league.
Along with continuing to lead the conference in points per set, Palmer is first in aces per set, with Kleespies tied for second.
Mallory McKnight now ranks sixth in the Big South and second among freshmen with her .276 hitting percentage, while standing second on the team with 149 kills. She is also second with 44 blocks.
Amaya Rousseau has a team-high 60 blocks and is third with 135 kills.

SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB

Records: 11-12, 1-7
Gardner-Webb snapped a six-match losing streak with a non-conference sweep of N.C. Central on Tuesday.
Prior to that, the Runnin' Bulldogs were swept by High Point and Campbell at home following the four-set loss to Radford on Oct. 8.
In conference play, GWU ranks ninth in hitting percentage and eighth in opponent hitting percentage, but third in blocks per set and digs per set.
Individually, Kaelyn Dyson leads the league with 1.32 blocks per set in Big South matches, while Emma Milstead stands third in digs per set at 4.79.

SCOUTING WINTHROP

Records: 9-14, 0-7
Winthrop's only win in its last seven outings also came over N.C. Central. However, since the tight three-set defeat to Radford on Oct. 7, the Eagles have been competitive in three other conference road matches. They fell to Liberty and Presbyterian in five sets and UNC Asheville in four.
Winthrop ranks seventh in conference play with a .153 hitting percentage, but compiled a .324 average in the match against the Highlanders, led by Brianna Gray (12 kills) and Sammie-Jo Ah-Hong (11 kills).
Gray leads the team with 174 kills on the season, while ranking fourth in Big South play with a .327 hitting percentage.
Emma Weakland has posted double-digit kills in four straight matches, while Ah-Hong has totaled 38 over the last three.

UP NEXT

Radford finishes off its four-match road swing at Liberty on Tuesday, before returning home next Friday.

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Players Mentioned