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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Palmer
3
Winner Radford RAD 0-0
0
Coppin State COPPIN 0-0
Winner
Radford RAD
0-0
3
Final
0
Coppin State COPPIN
0-0
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Radford RAD 25 25 25 (3)
Coppin State COPPIN 13 18 13 (0)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

HIGHLANDERS OPEN SEASON WITH 3-0 SWEEP OF COPPIN STATE



GAME INFORMATION
Score: Radford 3, Coppin State 0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-13)
Records: Highlanders (1-0) | Coppin State (0-1)
Location: Bethlehem, Pa. (Stabler Arena)
 
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Radford used a .611 hitting percentage in the first set to define the tone early en route to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-13) victory over Coppin State on Friday at Stabler Arena to begin the Lehigh Fall Classic.
 
With the first set in favor of the Highlanders (1-0), 7-5, Maddie Palmer claimed her first kill of the match and gave Radford an 8-5 lead. The run continued with four more unanswered points, until a Coppin State (0-1) point made it 12-6. Amaya Rousseau scored one with a kill and Sydney Tekstra had three of her five total kills back-to-back-to-back, which gave Radford a 16-6 lead. The Highlanders closed out the first set outscoring the Eagles 9-7, which led to a 25-13 first set win.
 
In the second set, Radford only had a .087 attack percentage, but took advantage of six Coppin State errors and had five service aces and took the set, 25-18. Each of the Highlanders five aces in the set came from freshmen Jordan Coomes and Alyssa Carruth.
 
The attack from the Highlanders picked back up in the third and final set as their hitting percentage increased to .387 and they tallied 15 kills, the most of any set in the match. Palmer gave Radford a 2-0 lead with a kill and a service ace, but Coppin State came back and tied the set at eight. The Highlanders scored the next two points before committing an error that put the set at 10-9.
 
Following that point the Highlanders went on an astonishing 15-4 run and sealed the set for the first win of the season.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
•  It's the third consecutive season opening win for Radford and the first season opening sweep since 2013, when they did it against North Carolina A&T.
•  The Highlanders outscored the Eagles 48-18 and had 35 kills compared to 14. Radford also had nine service aces and 30 assists as a team.
•  Maddie Palmer had 10 digs and was two kills shy of opening the season with a double-double. She led the team in kills and digs.
•  Three freshmen made their first collegiate appearance in tonight's match and two of them  - Maci Keaton and Alyssa Carruth - made their first career start.
•  Carruth and Jordan Coomes combined to have seven of Radford's eight service aces.
•  Valerie Gonzalez had seven kills, while Sydney Tekstra had five. Gonzalez averaged a .385 attack percentage and Tekstra connected with a .364 attack percentage.
•  Gonzalez and Tekstra also contributed on the defensive end with a solo block each.
•  Haley Kleespies and Coomes each had 10 assists, both tops on the team.
•  Coomes was three digs away from a double-double in her first action as a collegiate player.
 
QUOTABLE
"It's always nice to win your opening match of the year! Tomorrow we have to get focused for two matches against two good teams." ~ Marci Jenkins.
 
UP NEXT
Radford concludes the Lehigh Fall Classic with two matches on Saturday. The first is against Marist at 10 a.m., and the second will be against the host of the tournament, Lehigh at 3 p.m. The final match of the day will be live streamed.

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