RADFORD, Va. – An extremely close match from start to finish ended in a 3-1 victory over Presbyterian for the Radford volleyball team on Friday night.
Radford improves to 9-14 overall and 5-6 in Big South play while the Blue Hose drop to 7-16 on the year and 3-8 against conference opponents. The result moves the Highlanders into a tie with Gardner-Webb for fourth place with five games left to play.
It was a balanced offensive match for the Highlanders as six different players recorded four or more kills.
Crystal Childs led the way with 18 kills on 41 attempts for a .341 hitting percentage.
Taylor Jefferson notched her sixth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 19 digs. She also added a trio of blocks and an assist.
Grace Tulevech joined her teammates in double figures with 10 kills of her own.
Jackeline Nerro (29 assists) and
Fiona Baker (23 assists) were the primary distributors for the squad while
Shelby Hernandez (23 digs), Nerro (15 digs) and
Miranda Howard (13 digs) played major roles in the defensive effort.
Each of the first two sets were nearly identical, with one going the Highlanders' way and one going the Blue Hose' way by the score of 25-23. The score was tied midway through both sets and the conference rivals went back-and-forth in an evenly matched affair.
It was the third set in which Radford separated itself a bit. Trailing 21-18, Jefferson recorded a kill that kicked off a 7-1 run, including three straight kills from Childs, that closed out a 25-22 win.
That momentum carried over into the fourth and final set as the visitors held off a late push to win 25-23 once again and secure the overall victory.
KEY STATS
- Radford had a combined hitting percentage .253, its second-best H% of the season
- Two of the team's three best matches in that category have come against PC
- The Highlanders earned a 14-to-8 advantage in blocks
- The Blue Hose used 11 aces to keep close despite some offensive struggles
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
Gardner-Webb 3, UNC Asheville 0 (Thursday)
UNC Asheville 3, USC Upstate 0
High Point 3, Charleston Southern 0
Winthrop 3, Campbell 2
UP NEXT
Radford and Charleston Southern go head-to-head in the Buc Dome tomorrow, Oct. 29 at 2pm. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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