RADFORD FACES OHIO, VIRGINIA TECH FRIDAY IN BLACKSBURG

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SETTING THE STAGE

The Radford volleyball team plays in its final non-conference tournament of the season on Friday, taking on Ohio and Virginia Tech at the Hokie Invitational.
The 3 p.m. match against the Hokies will be streamed live on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE/LINKS
Friday, Sept. 16
Radford vs. Ohio, 11 a.m. (Live Stats)
Radford at Virginia Tech, 3 p.m. (Live Stats | Live Video)

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 8-2
Radford's eight wins through the first 10 matches are the most since the 2000 squad also went 8-2.
Maddie Palmer has moved up to fifth on the program's all-time kills list during the rally scoring error with 755. She also ranks fifth with 23 double-doubles – seven this season - is two away from fourth.
Kelby Jackson is now fourth on the digs list during that span with 1,348 and has 80 career double-digit performances.
Haley Kleespies has moved into fourth among Highlanders in rally-scoring assists with 1,413. The sophomore has recorded at least 40 assists in 20 of her 33 career matches. She leads the conference with 10.66 per set this year, while ranking second with 18 aces, tied for 22nd in the nation.
Palmer remains the only player in the Big South averaging over 4.00 kills per set this season, now at 4.23 with a total of 148. She also leads the way in points per set at 4.87.
Freshman Mallory McKnight is hitting .306 with 69 kills, including a pair of double-digit outings last weekend.
Classmates Stephanie Neast and Sydney Tekstra have contributed 56 and 51 kills, respectively. Neast is hitting .322 and is also second on the team with 17 blocks.
Radford remains first among Big South teams in both hitting percentage (.247) and opponent hitting percentage (.151). The Highlanders stand 30th nationally in the latter.
Jackson, Kaylor Nash and Palmer are each averaging over 3.00 digs per set, while Amaya Rousseau is the leader in blocks with 27, seventh in the conference at 1.00 per set.

SCOUTING OHIO

Record: 3-7
The Bobcats are coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Nike Invitational in Norman, Okla., where they opened with a sweep of Lamar before losing to the host Sooners and Texas-San Antonio. Their other victories came over Wofford and Appalachian State in Boone, N.C.
Perennial Mid-American Conference powers with 10 NCAA appearances in 14 seasons, the Bobcats are rebuilding this year, without a returning all-league honoree for the first time since 2002.
Seniors Mallory Salis and Brooke Coleman are the team's leaders. Salis was second on the squad last year in aces, third in kills and third in digs. She missed the first three matches this year.
Returning from injury that limited to her 12 matches in 2015, Coleman has recorded a team-high 146 digs this season and has reached double figures 34 times in her career.
Junior outside hitter Jamie Kosiorek earned all-tournament team honors at Appalachian's Black and Gold Invitational two weeks ago and is coming off of a season-high 21 kill outing in Ohio's last match.
This will be the programs' first-ever meeting.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH

Record: 4-5
After a 3-0 start at home, the Hokies have dropped five of their last six matches, all on the road, with four coming to Power 5 teams. They were swept in three matches last weekend by Northwestern, Ole Miss and host Lipscomb.
All but two players are back from last year's team that went 19-13, including senior outside hitters Lindsey Owens and Amanda McKinzie, who ranked first and second in kills, and sophomore setter Rhegan Mitchell.
Owens has a team-high 120 kills this season, averaging 3.43 per set to rank eighth among ACC players, while hitting .255. McKinzie is averaging 2.31 kills per set, but hitting just .129.
Mitchell stands third in the ACC with 10.75 assists per set, having dished out 258 on the season.
Freshman outside hitter Carol Raffety leads the way defensively, racking up 4.09 digs per set (143 total) to rank seventh in the conference. Owens and McKinzie have each totaled 103.
Junior middle blocker Cara Cunningham is fifth in the ACC with 1.41 blocks per set (45 total) and tied for fourth with 11 aces.
As a team, the Hokies are hitting .209 and holding opponents to .178.
Virginia Tech holds a 27-6 lead in the all-time series, but this will be only the second meeting since 2003. The Hokies won 3-0 in Blacksburg two years ago.

UP NEXT

Radford hosts preseason favorite High Point for each team's Big South Conference opener Tuesday night inside the Dedmon Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Kelby Jackson: L; 5' 5"; Senior

#3 Haley Kleespies: S; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#18 Kaylor Nash: DS; 5' 9"; Junior

#20 Maddie Palmer: OH; 6' 0"; Junior

#8 Amaya Rousseau: MB; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#15 Sydney Tekstra: OH; 6' 0"; Freshman

#19 Stephanie Neast: RS; 6' 0"; Freshman

#9 Mallory McKnight: MB; 5' 11"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#11 Kelby Jackson
: 5' 5"; Senior
: L

#3 Haley Kleespies
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: S

#18 Kaylor Nash
: 5' 9"; Junior
: DS

#20 Maddie Palmer
: 6' 0"; Junior
: OH

#8 Amaya Rousseau
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: MB

#15 Sydney Tekstra
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: OH

#19 Stephanie Neast
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: RS

#9 Mallory McKnight
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: MB