RADFORD, Va. – The Highlanders volleyball team will return home for a pair of key Big South matches at the Dedmon Center on Friday and Saturday. Radford will host Gardner-Webb on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and will battle Winthrop on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., which is also "Dig Pink Day."
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Gardner-Webb | Winthrop ("Dig Pink")
Time: 6 p.m. | 4 p.m.
Location: Radford, Va. (Dedmon Center)
Live Stats
HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS
The Highlanders (14-3, 6-2 Big South) are hitting a league-high .227 and are limiting their foes to a .152 mark, which is also tops on the circuit.
Mallory McKnight leads the Highlanders and the Big South with a .363 hitting percentage. She also leads Radford and is fourth in the Big South with 2.94 kills per set and is fifth in points per set (3.52).
Stephanie Neast is sixth in the conference with a .284 attack percentage and
Valerie Gonzalez is sixth in kills per set (2.75). The Highlanders have 107 service aces as
Haley Kleespies leads with 32, while
Alyssa Carruth isn't far behind with 24.
Grace Green is seventh in the conference in digs per set (4.15).
LAST TIME OUT
Radford pulled out a come-from-behind victory against Presbyterian in five sets last Saturday afternoon. The Highlanders rebounded from a tough loss at Charleston Southern on Friday evening. McKnight recorded a match-high 17 kills and committed just one error in 30 attempts for a sensational .533 hitting mark. Senior
Amaya Rousseau contributed a season-high 12 kills and Neast was also in double-digits with 10 winners. Sophomore
Jordan Coomes tracked a team and season-high 17 digs and Kleespies distributed 44 assists while adding 16 digs.
ABOUT GARDNER-WEBB
The Runnin' Bulldogs (7-14, 1-7 Big South) are currently last in the league with a .121 hitting percentage but are strong in the middle as they are posting a league-best 2.37 blocks per set. Middle Blocker Hanna Donaldson leads the entire conference with 1.26 rejections per set. Setter Amanda Sahm is distributing a team-high 6.36 assists and defensive specialist Charissa Coleman is tracking 4.19 digs per set, which is good for sixth in the league.
ABOUT WINTHROP
Winthrop (11-10, 7-2) sits in second-place in the Big South standings prior to Friday's action. The Eagles are a strong defensive squad as they are second in the league in digs (16.81 pg.) and are also fifth in hitting percentage (.181). Siani Yamaguchi is one of the top setters in the league as she is distributing a Big South high 10.38 assists per set. She is also ninth with 0.31 service aces per set. Carlie Skelton is Winthrop's top hitter as she is fourth on the circuit with 4.38 kills per set.
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