RADFORD, Va.—The Highlanders returned to the Dedmon Center to face the Spartans in an important Big South Conference matchup. Radford swept USC Upstate in three sets with
Stephanie Neast and
Samantha Reitz leading the charge for the Highlander's balanced attack.
SET ONE
The opening moments were back-and-forth as the teams began to get a feel for one another. A USC Upstate miscue shifted the momentum in favor of Radford. The Highlanders wasted no time capitalizing on the shift, posting five additional points to take the lead at 9-4.
Upstate strung together six points to battle back into contention, taking the lead by one. Down the stretch, the teams ramped up the intensity as they both approached 20 points.
A kill by
Esmadar Tavares broke the tie of 17 all and ignited the final push for the Highlanders.
Hailey Flowers, Tavares, plus a pair of kills for Reitz and Neast were the deciding factors in the set.
SET TWO
Upstate's hot start saw them strike up an initial lead of 8-5 before
Morgan Goodman's kill broke the streak. Meehan added a kill of her own in addition to a great defensive stand by Radford to cut the deficit to two.
That would be all that the Highlanders needed to get rolling in the set. What followed was an onslaught of Radford points coming in an array of ways from blocks to kills, increasing the lead to 18-10.
To close out the rally, four different Highlanders notched kills to seal the set at 25-23.
SET THREE
Radford posted the first pair of points in this final set via their defense. The Highlanders then tacked on six more to jump out to a 9-2 lead.
This set would prove to be all Radford as the Highlanders kept the Spartans to nine points. A mix of blocks and kills would be the tune for Radford yet again as they cruised to 25 points.
STAT OF THE MATCH
Reitz has posted her season high for kills in back-to-back contests, posting 10 tonight. She paired that offensive outburst with a hitting percentage of .600, four digs, and a block.
TEAM LEADERS
As a team the Highlanders edged out the Spartans in almost every category. Neast and Reitz paved the way with 12 and 10 kills respectively, with Flowers following close behind at nine. The trio of Tavares,
Taylor O'Neal, and Lentz tallied service aces for Radford. The hosts of the Highlander block party were Johnson (4), Neast and Flowers with three apiece. Lentz (20) and Coomes (18) were the duo to post double digit assists. O'Neal and
Grace Green notched nine digs each.
UP NEXT
Radford will return to Dedmon tomorrow to continue their three-game home stretch against UNC Asheville, for the Dig Pink Match. The Highlanders have partnered with the Side-Out Foundation for the month of October to aid in raising awareness for breast cancer. To donate,
click here.
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