RICHMOND, Va. – The Radford volleyball team split its matches on the first day of the VCU Tournament, falling to Georgetown before earning a win over Iona, on Friday inside the Siegel Center.
 
MATCH ONE (VS. GEORGETOWN)
With a tough opening weekend now in the rearview mirror, it was important for the Highlanders to start this tournament strong and that's exactly what they did.
 
Georgetown went on a 7-0 run to turn a 4-2 Radford lead into a 9-4 deficit early in the first set, but the Highlanders managed to kick into another gear. The ladies in red and white went on a 7-2 run of their own to retake the lead and keep the momentum going en route to a 25-21 win.
 
The undefeated Hoyas showed why they've already matched their win total from last season, winning each of the next three sets to walk away with a 3-1 victory.
 
Radford dropped the second set 25-19 and then struggled to rack up kills in a 25-14 defeat in the third set.
 
A fourth and final set was competitive throughout, leading to a 19-all tie deep into the action. Georgetown found a way to pull away down the stretch, scoring five of the last seven points.
 
KEY STATS

• Summer Campbell set a new career high in blocks with seven, surpassing the six she posted against UMES a season ago
• Olivia Flanagan led the Highlanders with eight kills on 19 total attacks
• Georgetown recorded 52 kills (.248 H%) compared to 33 (.027 H%) for Radford
• The Hoyas committed 17 service errors while Radford fared much better in the category with just seven

 
MATCH TWO (VS. IONA)
Radford returned to the court later in the day and earned its first victory of the 2023 season in a five-set thriller over Iona.
 
The Highlanders breezed through the first two sets, winning by a score of 25-22 and 25-17, respectively. With a sweep in their sights, the Gaels had other plans.
 
Iona regrouped at the break and came out firing, earning a 25-14 win in the third set and a 25-20 victory in the fourth set to stay alive.
 
The Gaels led 5-2 early and 8-7 when the media timeout arrived, but Radford was undeterred. The two sides battled back-and-forth until Olivia Flanagan's kill sealed the win.
 
Emma Young recorded a 14-kill, 18-dig double-double while Flanagan came in just behind her with 13 kills of her own. Sierra Moore added 12 kills to give Radford three attackers in double figures.
 
Julia Slivka also provided a huge double-double, recording a season-high 24 assists and 19 digs. Fellow setter Jackline Nerro posted 19 assists and 11 digs for yet another Highlander double-double. 
 
KEY STATS

• Radford and Iona were extremely evenly matched, playing their way to near-identical stat lines.
• Total Attacks – Radford: 203, Iona: 199
• Kills – Radford 51, Iona: 51
• Attacking Errors – Radford 33, Iona 33
• Hitting Percentage – Radford: .089, Iona: .090

 
UP NEXT
Radford wraps up its weekend in the state capital with a 5 p.m. match against the host VCU Rams on Saturday, Sept. 2. Fans can watch the match on ESPN+.
 
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