VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS GARDNER-WEBB IN DOMINANT FASHION

Friday, October 19

Radford

6:00 PM

Radford University

15-3, 7-2Big South

Gardner-Webb

7-15, 1-8Big South

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Gardner-Webb	19	11	18	0
Radford	25	25	25	3

VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS GARDNER-WEBB IN DOMINANT FASHION

10/19/2018 8:00:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 2018 Volleyball Schedule 2018 Volleyball Roster

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RADFORD, Va. – The Radford volleyball team utilized a balanced attack to earn a 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-18) sweep of Gardner-Webb at the Dedmon Center on Friday night.

Looking to bounce back from a tough weekend on the road, the Highlanders (15-3, 7-2 Big South) looked ready to play from the first serve. Juniors Mallory McKnight and Stephanie Neast led the way with 11 kills each and hitting percentages of .412 and .647 respectively.

Seven total Highlanders recorded at least one kill on the night with senior Valerie Gonzalez (9), senior Amaya Rousseau (7), freshman Kylie Tuxford (7) and redshirt freshman Gabby Morris (4) all making major contributions.

Senior Haley Kleespies was exceptional distributing the ball and recorded 40-plus assists for the fourth straight match. She also accounted for two kills while freshman libero Grace Green led all players with 12 digs.

The Runnin' Bulldogs (7-15, 1-8 Big South) were held to a .147 hitting percentage and 30 kills with 15 attack errors. They did earn a 5.0-to-3.0 advantage in total blocks, but tallied only one ace.

SET ONE
Radford set the tone early, jumping out to a 10-4 lead that proved too much for Gardner-Webb to ever overcome. The Highlanders earned a 19-to-10 advantage in kills including six from Neast and five from McKnight, although four of the Runnin' Bulldogs' blocks on the night came in the first set. Radford also committed a match-high eight errors in the set, but kills from six different players led to a quick 25-19 win.

SET TWO
The Highlanders looked unstoppable in the second set, putting together a .609 hitting percentage on the way to a 25-11 victory. Radford's attack errors dropped to two as the majority of their attacks hit the floor just as Coach Byers planned it. GWU was forced to call an early timeout trailing 9-3, but nothing the Runnin' Bulldogs tried worked. Radford ended the set on a 6-0 run and took a 2-0 lead into the break.

SET THREE
For the third straight set the Highlanders got off to a hot start, this time grabbing a 12-3 lead before GWU knew what hit them. Attack errors stayed even at 4-to-4, but Radford picked up two more aces and 16 kills. Rousseau and Morris each made back-to-back-to-back kills in the set, helping the Highlanders take control. Tuxford ended the match with an emphatic hit that gave the Runnin' Bulldogs no chance.

STAT OF THE MATCH
As a team, Radford recorded a .349 hitting percentage on 106 total attacks. Through 18 matches so far this season, that ranks as the Highlanders' second-best mark of the year just behind a hitting percentage of .372 against Siena on Aug. 25.

TWEET OF THE NIGHT

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The band is back!#RiseAndDefend | #BigSouthVB pic.twitter.com/Int1v01aoc
— Radford Volleyball (@RadfordVB) October 19, 2018

AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
High Point 3, Hampton 0
UNC Asheville 3, Charleston Southern 0

UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to the Dedmon Center tomorrow at 4 p.m., when they take on Winthrop in Radford's annual Dig Pink game.

The Eagles entered the weekend at 11-10 overall including an excellent 7-2 record in Big South play which puts them in second in the conference standings.

FOLLOW RADFORD VOLLEYBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the Radford volleyball team follow @RadfordVB on Twitter and Instagram or Radford Volleyball on Facebook.