BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Radford women's volleyball team took a tough 3-0 loss to Southern Indiana in its 2023 season-opening match on Friday afternoon.
The Highlanders got off to a slow start to the match, dropping the first set by a score of 25-15.
Olivia Flanagan led the team with five kills in the frame, but 12 Radford attack errors negated any progress and the Screaming Eagles pulled away with a 6-0 run to gain an early advantage.
While Radford kept it closer in the second set, USI turned a 13-11 Highlander lead into a 25-18 victory to go up two sets to none. Another 10 attack errors were added to the tally and USI took advantage, going on an 11-1 run that proved too much to overcome.
It was an incredibly close third set, but it would ultimately be the final one of the day as the Screaming Eagles walked away with a 26-24 win. After a kill by
Kennedy Robinson gave Radford a 19-18 lead, USI raced ahead and reach match point at 24-21.
To their credit, the Highlanders didn't give up and battled back to knot things up at 24-all, forcing a timeout. Whatever USI talked about in the huddle was effective, as back-to-back kills from Paris Downing closed out the match.
The trio of Flanagan, Robinson and
Sierra Moore paced Radford with six kills apiece, while
Summer Campbell had the most efficient day on the team with three kills on a .333 hitting percentage to go with a team-high three blocks.
USI's Leah Anderson led all players with 11 kills on 37 total attacks while teammates Abby Bednar (eight kills) and Downing (seven kills) provided extra fire power.
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UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to the court tomorrow for a doubleheader on Big Ten Network Plus. They'll take on New Hampshire at Noon, followed by a 7 p.m. showdown with the host-school Indiana Hoosiers.
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