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Radford University Athletics

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McKnight-20171013
Radford Athletics Communications
3
Winner Radford RAD 2-0
1
Loyola Maryland LOYOLA 1-1
Winner
Radford RAD
2-0
3
Final
1
Loyola Maryland LOYOLA
1-1
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Radford RAD 25 21 25 25 (3)
Loyola Maryland LOYOLA 23 25 23 23 (1)
0
Siena SIE 0-3
3
Winner Radford RAD 3-0
Siena SIE
0-3
0
Final
3
Radford RAD
3-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Siena SIE 13 17 14 (0)
Radford RAD 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

RADFORD TAKES BALTIMORE BASH TITLE WITH 3-0 WEEKEND


 
BALTIMORE, Md. – The Radford volleyball team completed a perfect 3-0 weekend to win the 2018 Baltimore Bash with a 3-1 win over Loyola (Md.) and a 3-0 thrashing of Siena at Reitz Arena on Saturday.
 
MATCH ONE – Radford vs. Loyola (Md.)
 
25-23 turned out to be a magic scoreline for the Highlanders against Loyola as all three wins in a 3-1 victory over the Greyhounds ended with that on the scoreboard.
 
Senior Valerie Gonzalez was a force on the attack, finishing with 15 kills and a .256 hitting percentage. Junior Mallory McKnight provided plenty of offense as well, collecting 11 kills on a .304 hitting percentage. Senior Haley Kleespies showed off her distributing skills with 41 assists while freshman Grace Green moved well en route to 20 digs.
 
The Hounds were paced by freshman Abby Hamilton and junior Ann Ernst who finished with a very impressive 21 and 18 kills respectively. A total of 29 attack errors and 12 service errors really hurt the hosts in such a tightly contested match.
 
SET 1: The Highlanders came out fast, putting together a 4-1 lead out of the gate. Loyola quickly proved they weren't going to be an easy opponent however, and hit back with a 14-6 run. As Radford fought to stay close, the Greyhounds stayed just ahead up until a big block by Haley Kleespies tied things up at 20-20. Radford then took the lead back at 23-22 on an Alyssa Carruth ace before securing the 25-23 win. Five blocks in the set, along with four kills from Taylor O'Neal, proved to be the difference.
 
SET 2: Loyola looked for a while like it had complete control in the second set, but Radford found a way to make it close before ultimately falling, 21-25. An 8-0 run by the Greyhounds built the lead to 15-5 before the Highlanders mounted a 14-3 run of their own. Radford actually outhit Loyola (.154-.130) and had less errors (8-12) so there were plenty of encouraging signs heading into set three.
 
SET 3: Radford earned its second 25-23 set victory of the day thanks to some strong play from Valerie Gonzalez and Mallory McKnight. The duo showed some more aggressiveness and combined for 11 of the team's 12 kills in the period. After the Highlanders built a 17-11 lead, Loyola worked its way back to tie the set at 20-20 -  just like the first set -  before Radford clinched it to go up, 2-1. The Hounds' Abby Hamilton was on fire, posting five kills of her own.
 
SET 4: Doing everything they could to avoid a second straight five-setter to begin the season, the Highlanders buckled down and earned another 25-23 win. A tug-of-war led to 13 lead changes in this set alone. The Hounds led by as many as five before Radford stormed back and tied the score at 17-all. In the end, a kill from McKnight and an attack error by Hamilton sealed the match. McKnight and Gonzalez brought the heat with a combined eight kills.
 
MATCH TWO – Radford vs. Siena
 
Radford came out and absolutely dominated the Siena Saints to close out this weekend's tournament in Baltimore. After earning 13 3-0 wins a season ago, the Highlanders locked down their first of 2018.
 
With advantages in points (57-31), kills (40-29), hitting percentage (.372-.089), assists (37-25), blocks (9.0-1.0) and service aces (8-1), it looked like a sure thing that Radford would come out on top and it sure did.
 
Mallory McKnight came up huge in the match, leading all players with 15.5 points, 11 kills, three solo blocks and three block assists. Stephanie Neast was great again with 10.5 points, eight kills and eight digs as well.
 
SET 1: The Highlanders made quick work of the Saints to start the nightcap, earning a 25-13 win. As a team, they collected 14 kills with Taylor O'Neal, Valerie Gonzalez, Mallory McKnight, Stephanie Neast, Gabby Morris and Samantha Reitz all getting multiple. Their .393 hitting percentage was the best in a single set so far this season and Siena only managed to hit .000.
 
SET 2: Although it was a much tighter battle for most of the set than the first, Radford still easily handled the Saints for a 25-17 win. A .385 hitting percentage was buoyed by 13 kills and for the second straight set, Radford tallied multiple aces and blocks. Several young players were given more playing time including Morris, Kennedi Johnson and Lilijana Henderson. Radford ended the set on a 4-0 run to deny any hopes Siena might have had of stealing a set.
 
SET 3: If you thought Radford was dominant in the first set, you'll really love how the squad played in the third set. Needing just one more win to secure the victory and move to 3-0 on the year, the Highlanders recorded a .344 hitting percentage with 13 kills, two blocks and three service aces to finish the set 25-14. Freshmen Taylor Moore and Erin Hetherington, as well as sophomore Maci Keaton, got on the court to help their teammates as well.
 
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ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Mallory McKnight (MVP)
Stephanie Neast
Grace Green
 
HISTORY OF SUCCESS
Radford begins the season 3-0 for the fourth straight year dating back to 2015. Both the 2016 and 2017 campaigns began with a 6-0 record.
 
QUOTABLE
"After a tough start this morning we played a little better in the last match! We had a lot of kids step up this weekend at different times so our balance was solid. Grace did a really nice job as the libero this weekend and that allowed Mallory to get a good number of swings in the middle. Steph was solid both offensively and defensively. Monday is a new day, we have to continue to improve, and I think we are all looking forward to doing that." – Head Coach Marci Byers
 
UP NEXT
The Radford volleyball team will get a little bit of a break before heading to Cape Girardeau, Missouri for the Redhawks Invitational next weekend. There, the Highlanders will take on Northwestern State (Friday at 11am), Southeast Missouri (Friday at 8pm) and Louisana Monroe (Saturday at Noon).
 
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.
 
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