FIFTH SET VICTORY LIFTS RADFORD OVER SOUTH CAROLINA

Saturday, September 9

Columbia, S.C.

2 p.m.

Radford University

8-1

South Carolina

5-4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Radford	12	25	25	22	15	3
South Carolina	25	18	13	25	9	2

FIFTH SET VICTORY LIFTS RADFORD OVER SOUTH CAROLINA

9/9/2017 5:46:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

MATCH INFORMATION
Score: Radford 3, South Carolina 2 (12-25, 25-18, 25-14, 22-25, 15-9)
Records: Highlanders (8-1) | Gamecocks (5-4)
Location: Columbia, S.C. (Carolina Volleyball Center)

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Stephanie Neast's career-high 17 kills and 12 digs helped lift Radford to a five set victory over South Carolina on Saturday in the final match of the Carolina Classic at the Carolina Volleyball Center. The win is the Highlanders second win this season over a Power Five opponent and first win over an SEC team since 2001.

The first set began with Radford (8-1) taking a 3-1 lead with two kills by Neast and a South Carolina (5-4) attack error. Later in the set the Gamecocks took a lead and Radford scored a point cutting the deficit to two. That was the last point the Highlanders scored over the next 12 points as the Gamecocks took a 20-7 lead.

Both teams scored five points each and a Highlander attack error ended the first set, 25-12.

Radford stormed back opening the second set scoring five of the first six points. South Carolina came back and tied the set at 16 midway through but a Maddie Palmer kill began a 4-0 run that gave the Highlanders a 20-16 lead. A service error and a Mikayla Shields kill cut the Highlander lead to two, but Radford ended the set on a 5-0 run with a Valerie Ernat service ace sealing the set win, 25-18.

The third set began right where the second left off as Radford jumped out to a 6-1 lead then continued the run taking a 15-6 lead. The Gamecocks cut it to as low as seven points, 18-11, but Radford took a 2-1 set lead with a dominant 25-14 third set victory that featured 14 kills and a match-high .500 hitting percentage.

Fourteen straight kills were how the fourth set began and the 14^th kill gave South Carolina an 8-7 lead. The Gamecocks scored five of the next six points and went up three points, 12-9. The run continued for the home team as they took a 20-13 lead with an 8-4 run. Radford outscored the Gamecocks 9-5 over the final 14 points but a kill by Mikayla Robinson took the match into a fifth set.

South Carolina jumped to an early 3-0 lead but Radford took advantage of two errors and a kill to tie the set at three. The set continued and with a 6-6 tie the Highlanders took a commanding 12-7 lead with a 6-1 run. The Gamecocks scored two of the next three points cutting the deficit to four. With the Highlanders needing two points in the final set for a victory, they received a kill from Palmer and claimed the match with an Amaya Rousseau kill.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Stephanie Neast was lights out and earned her first career double-double with a career-high 17 kills and 12 digs. She also recorded a .350 hitting percentage.
• The double-double performance along with the play from the sophomore all weekend earned her a spot on the Carolina Classic All-Tournament Team.
• Neast wasn't the only Highlander to earn a double-double as the double-double machine in Maddie Palmer racked up a match-high 24 kills and added 11 digs.
• Haley Kleespies was the other Highlander to earn a double-double. She contributed a team-high 42 assists and 14 digs.
• Sydney Tekstra was another Highlander with double-digit kills with 11 and Alyssa Carruth was great defensively with 12 digs.
• Valerie Ernat had two of Radford's five total service aces.
• Radford had 61 kills compared to South Carolina's 48. The 61 kills is a season-high for the Highlanders.
• The win over South Carolina is Radford's first win over an SEC opponent since 2001, when they defeated Auburn.
• It's the sixth win over a Power Five opponent since 2014 and the first time since 2014 the Highlanders have had two Power Five wins in one season (Cal and Maryland).

QUOTABLE
"This weekend was a good learning experience for us after not playing well at all against Miami (OH). We hit the reset button and pulled out two wins when we could have folded. We still have a lot of work to do to be a better team, but I like our chances if we continue to improve." ~ Marci Jenkins

UP NEXT
After the Carolina Classic, the Highlanders will play in the New River Valley for the first time in 2017. Radford will participate in the Hokie Invitational on Sept. 15 and face East Tennessee State at 2 p.m., and Virginia Tech at 7 p.m.

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