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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
team
0
UT Rio Grande Valley UTRGV 0-1
3
Winner Radford Rad 1-0
UT Rio Grande Valley UTRGV
0-1
0
Final
3
Radford Rad
1-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
UT Rio Grande Valley UTRGV 23 17 20 (0)
Radford Rad 25 25 25 (3)
1
Radford RAD 4-5
3
Winner Houston Baptist HBU 5-6
Radford RAD
4-5
1
Final
3
Houston Baptist HBU
5-6
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Radford RAD 25 8 13 22 (1)
Houston Baptist HBU 22 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

HIGHLANDERS SPLIT IN OPENING DAY OF 2019, BYERS WINS 200TH AT RADFORD

HOUSTON, Texas – The Radford volleyball team went 1-1 to open the 2019 season with a 3-0 win over UTRGV to begin the day and a 3-1 loss to Houston Baptist to end the day at the Barcelona Sports Invitational in Houston.
 
RADFORD 3, UTRGV 0
The Highlanders opened the season hot with a quick 4-0 run thanks to a Taylor O'Neal kill and three UTRGV attack errors. The Vaqueros battled back and cut the deficit to three midway through the set. After that the Highlanders went back up by five, 16-11 highlighted by a Samantha Reitz kill. Radford maintained a lead throughout the first set but UTRGV made a comeback and cut the Highlander lead to two, 24-22, until a Mackenzie Meehan kill clinched the first set, 25-22. The Highlanders tallied a match-leading .346 hitting percentage in the opening set of the season.
 
After UTRGV took a 3-1 lead in the second set, Radford raced back with a 6-1 run taking a 7-4 lead. The Highlanders used another 6-1 run to take a 17-8 advantage. Radford cruised to a 25-17 victory led by Hailey Flowers with five kills in the set.
 
Radford jumped out to a 12-6 lead in set number three when UTRGV scored three in a row, making it a 12-9 score. After a Mallory McKnight kill, the Vaqueros scored six of the next eight points and tied the set at 15. Radford closed out the set on a 10-5 run and secured the sweep.
 
Stephanie Neast led the Highlanders with nine kills, while O'Neal and Flowers tallied seven. Jordan Coomes racked up a career-high 20 assists and three of Radford's eight service aces. The Highlanders hit .293 as a team with seven blocks thanks to a pair of seniors, McKnight and Neast, who had four block assists each.
 
STAT OF THE MATCH
With the win over UTRGV, Marci Byers picked her 200th career victory as Radford's head coach. She is the second coach in program history to reach 200 wins at Radford. The first is Radford Athletics Hall of Fame member, Janell Dobbins who acquired 369 wins in 19 seasons.
 
TWEET OF THE MATCH  
RADFORD 1, HOUSTON BAPTST 3
The first set of the second match was back-and-forth until Houston Baptist took a commanding 14-9 lead. The Highlanders didn't shy away and went on an 11-1 run, taking a 20-15 lead. Each team traded the next six points and Radford took a 23-18 lead. The hometown Huskies didn't go down without a fight and cut it to a one-point set, 23-22. Radford bowed up and won the final two points taking the first set, 25-22.
 
It was all Houston Baptist in the second and third set as the Huskies hit .417 in the second en route to a 25-8 set victory and .286 in the third with a 25-13 victory. The Huskies only committed three attack errors in each set. The script was flipped for Radford as the Highlanders made 16 attack errors in the two sets combined and had negative hitting percentages.
 
The Highlanders were poised for a comeback and took a 19-9 lead in the fourth set needing only six points to send the match to a fifth set, but the Huskies stormed back with a 16-3 run and took the third set 25-22 handing Radford its first loss of 2019.
 
HBU led the way with 52 kills, compared to Radford's 32. The Highlanders came away with 12 blocks led by McKnight and Nest once again with six block assists. The freshman Meehan tallied five block assists as well. O'Neal chipped in with one solo block and one block assist. She also racked up a career-high 12 digs.
 
STAT OF THE MATCH
The Highlanders picked up 15 kills in the first set, which are the most kills in the seven sets played in 2019.
 
UP NEXT
Radford will close out the Barcelona Sports Invitational on Saturday at 1 p.m., ET against Bethune-Cookman before returning home to host the Radford Invitational beginning Friday, Sept. 6.
 
FOLLOW 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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