BALANCED RADFORD SWEEPS PAST TENNESSEE TECH FOR 4-0 START

Friday, September 2

Birmingham, Ala.

11:00 AM

Radford University

4-0

Tennessee Tech

3-1

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Radford	26	27	25	3
Tennessee Tech	24	25	17	0

Photo by: Radford Athletics Communications

BALANCED RADFORD SWEEPS PAST TENNESSEE TECH FOR 4-0 START

9/2/2016 1:24:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Radford volleyball team pulled out a pair of hard-fought sets and then put away Tennessee Tech in the third, taking a 26-24, 27-25, 25-17 sweep in its first match of the UAB/Samford Challenge Friday afternoon.

The Highlanders improved to 4-0 for the first time Marci Jenkins' nine seasons, while handing Tennessee Tech (3-1) its first loss.

The battle of early unbeatens was predictably close for the first two sets, with neither team holding more than a four-point lead and the margin staying within two the majority of the time. Radford used three separate 3-0 runs late in the opening set to prevail. The first two spurts forced Tennessee Tech timeouts and gave the Highlanders a 21-19 edge. After the Golden Eagles came back to take a 24-23 lead, RU capitalized on service and attack errors with a kill by freshman Stephanie Neast to take the game.

The biggest advantage in the second set came with the Highlanders grabbing a 22-19 edge. The Golden Eagles, though, came back to earn a game point at 24-23, but a service error kept RU alive. With the score tied at 25, freshman Mallory McKnight and reigning Big South Player of the Week Maddie Palmer delivered back-to-back kills to give Radford two-set lead.

Riding the momentum, the Highlanders scored four of the first five points in the third game and never trailed. A kill by Amaya Rousseau made it 13-6 and Tennessee Tech only got as close as three points the rest of the way. Palmer had three kills in the last four RU points, including the match-ender.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Radford used a balanced offensive attack that combined for 50 kills, led by Maddie Palmer's 13. She also added 12 digs for her third double-double in four matches.
Amaya Rousseau totaled nine kills and shared team-high honors with four blocks.
The freshmen trio of Mallory McKnight, Sydney Tekstra and Stephanie Neast again played a major role. McKnight and Tekstra each recorded eight kills, while Neast had four blocks, to go along with four kills.
Haley Kleespies notched her second 40-assist match of the season, hitting that number exactly.
The Highlanders also totaled 61 digs, with four players reaching double figures. Kelby Jackson notched a game-high 15. sophomore Valerie Ernat recorded a career-high 14 and Kaylor Nash chipped in 10.
Radford finished with a .248 hitting percentage, while holding Tennessee Tech to just .116.
RU dominated at the net, outblocking the Golden Eagles 8-0, with seven different players recording at least one assist.
The Highlanders had started 3-0 twice previously under head coach Marci Jenkins (2008 and 2015).

UP NEXT

Radford will make the six-mile drive in Birmingham from Samford University over to the UAB campus and take on the Blazers tonight, with first serve set for 7 p.m.

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