RADFORD, Va. – The Radford volleyball team played as close a match as you'll ever see in front of a rambunctious crowd at the Dedmon Center on Friday night, falling in four sets to Charleston Southern.
The Highlanders (5-10, 1-2 Big South) and Buccaneers (9-8, 2-1 Big South) went shot-for-shot across every single set on the night, with a 3-1 win being decided by a combined 11 points.
Both the first and second rounds of the bout went Charleston's way by the score of 25-23, but it was the second set that really stung. Leading 14-7 midway through and looking as though it had taken back the momentum, Radford began to struggle with the Bucs' serving and a disheartening comeback ensued.
To their credit, the Highlanders refused to give up in front of their home fans and took the third set, 25-21, in the biggest differential of the night. A fourth set battle seemed like it could truly go either way, but Charleston Southern finished the job and secured the road victory.
Crystal Childs led all players with 18 kills on 39 attack attempts, good for a .231 hitting percentage.
Tytianna Roberts joined her in double-digits, tallying 10 kills against only three errors.
Fiona Baker came off the bench to lead Radford with 28 assists while freshman
Estella Sawyer dished out 23 assists of her own.
Peyton Thompson (15 kills), Skylar Yates (13 kills), and Indigo Young (10 kills) gave the visitors' attack a major boost. Emilee Karelese was phenomenal, spreading the love around for 39 assists.
KEY STATS
- Estella Sawyer's inclusion in the starting lineup was the first official start of her collegiate career
- Shelby Hernandez was diving all over the floor to collect 25 digs
- Hernandez also led Radford with three service aces
UP NEXT
The Highlanders welcome the Presbyterian Blue Hose to the Dedmon Center on Saturday for the second Big South match of the weekend. First serve is slated for 2 p.m. and all the action will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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