SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Radford volleyball team dropped a 3-0 match to USC Upstate inside the G.B. Hodge Center on Friday night.
 
The loss moves the Highlanders to 3-14 overall and 2-6 in Big South play while the Spartans improve 11-9 on the season and 4-4 in conference action.
 
It was a true back-and-forth first set as Radford and Upstate battled for every point. The Spartans began to pull away late, but the Highlanders fought back to make it close twice before the home team closed it out for a 25-22 win that gave them an early 1-0 advantage.
 
Spectators saw more of the same in the second set as the high-flying attacks met stout defenses on both sides of the net. Radford pulled within two, 19-17, before the Spartans ended the frame with a 6-1 run that put them ahead, 2-0.
 
USC Upstate pushed Radford up against the ropes in the third set, taking a 24-19 lead to make it match point. The Highlanders kept up their level of intensity to the very end, making it 24-22 to force a timeout prior to the last point.
 
A number of attack errors reared their ugly head for the Highlanders throughout the night – they tallied eight in each of the first two sets and five in the final set – resulting in a .093 hitting percentage across all three.
 
Kennedy Robinson led the team with 11 kills, marking her third double-digit output of the season.
 
NOTABLES

• USC Upstate had a 38-to-31 advantage in kills while committing only 17 attack errors
• The Spartans put up 10 service aces, including seven from just two players
• Shelby Hernandez (15) and Miranda Howard (10) put up team highs in digs
• Jackeline Nerro (15) and Rylee Sloss (10) matched those exact numbers in assists

UP NEXT
Radford heads to mountains of Asheville, N.C. on Saturday for a 2 p.m. matchup with the Bulldogs. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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