RADFORD, Va. – After falling behind early, the Radford volleyball team reeled off wins in three straight sets to earn a 3-1 victory over USC Upstate on Carilion Clinic Court in the Dedmon Center on Saturday.
 
The win gives the Highlanders a perfect home-opening weekend and improves their record to 3-11 (2-3 Big South). The Spartans, alternatively, fall to 9-8 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
 
Coach Livingston's squad set a new season-best mark in total kills, recording 52 on 157 attack attempts for a solid .159 hitting percentage. The dynamic duo of Sydney Mundkowsky and Sophie Paspal played a huge part in that success, with each player posting 11 kills to lead the team.
 
Not to be outdone, sophomore outside hitter Sara Johnson had one of the best games of her collegiate career, matching a career high in kills with nine while committing just four attack errors.
 
Everyone in the building knew USC Upstate would prove to be a tough opponent and they showed why in the first set. The Spartans raced out to a 10-6 lead and then rebounded from Radford's furious comeback effort to turn a 18-17 score into a 25-19 victory.
 
The visitors looked just as strong in the second set, but the Highlanders regrouped and battled for a 25-23 win, tying the match at 1-all. Radford then came back out and earned a 25-21 win in the third set, putting all the pressure on Upstate to play from behind.
 
Four sets turned out to be all Radford needed, as the home side dominated early to the tune of a 7-1 lead before the Spartans called timeout. Even then, USC Upstate never managed to get back into the game and Radford closed things out with a 25-18 win to seal the overall victory.
 
NOTABLES

• Shelby Hernandez anchored the defense with a game-high 19 digs, while Miranda Howard joined her in double-digit territory with 10 digs of her own
• Besting their performance from a night ago, Julia Slivka and Jackeline Nerro combined for 43 assists
• Olivia Flanagan and Kennedy Robinson had seven kills each
• The Spartans earned a slight 11.0-to-10.0 advantage in total blocks
• USC Upstate was led in the attack by Ashleigh Nicoll, who also had 11 kills

UP NEXT
Radford now hops on a bus for a four-game road swing, which begins next weekend at Charleston Southern (6pm on Friday, Oct. 13) and Presbyterian (2pm on Saturday, Oct. 14).
 
FOLLOW RADFORD VOLLEYBALL
For more information on the Radford volleyball team follow @RadfordVB on Twitter and Instagram or Radford Volleyball on Facebook.