Slivka Named To All-Tournament Team On Challenging Final Day In Fairfax

Saturday, September 9

Fairfax, Va.

2:00 PM

Radford University

1-7,0-0Big South

George Mason

4-5,0-0Atlantic 10

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Radford	21	19	18	0
George Mason	25	25	25	3

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Robert Morris	25	20	25	25	3
Radford	22	25	11	16	1

Slivka Named To All-Tournament Team On Challenging Final Day In Fairfax

9/9/2023 7:44:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

FAIRFAX, Va. – The Radford volleyball team dropped a pair of contests against George Mason and Robert Morris in a challenging final day in Northern Virginia on Saturday.

MATCH ONE (VS. GEORGE MASON)
It was a balanced effort across the board for the Highlanders, as they posted a season-best .158 hitting percentage on 101 total attacks against George Mason.

The first set stayed close early until a 5-1 scoring run by the Patriots turned a 5-5 tie into a 10-6 lead, which eventually grew to 17-11. Radford tallied 13 kills as it came on strong late, but the Patriots fended off the visitors to take a 1-0 advantage in the match.

Radford looked even better in the second set, hitting .226 with three service aces and just two errors. It just so happened to be GMU's best performance of the day as well, racking up 20 kills on a .372 hitting percentage that was overpowering.

Despite multiple blocks in each set, including three in the final two, George Mason pulled away and never looked back in the third set, clinching the sweep.

KEY STATS

Sophie Paspal looked like her old self, tying for a team-high nine kills on a fantastic .412 hitting percentage. She also had a block solo and two block assists.
Sara Johnson was the other Highlander with nine kills, attempting a team-high 30 attacks
Shelby Hernandez covered a lot of ground to tally 18 digs, her second-most on the year
Sierra Moore continues to be the most consistent player on the squad, contributing seven kills and 13 digs
Julia Slivka had 24 assists, her fourth-straight match with 20+ assists

MATCH TWO (VS. ROBERT MORRIS)
The positive momentum built in the first match of the day carried over into this one, as the Highlanders got a big second set win before dropping the overall match.

Radford was quick out of the gates, going up 4-0 in no time. The Colonials countered with a big run and fended of numerous comeback attempts to win the first set 25-22.

Without question, the second set of this match was the best this team has looked all season long. The Highlanders took a 25-20 win thanks to a 17-kill, 2-error performance that included a pair of service aces and an incredible .536 hitting percentage.

The Colonials struck back in the very next set, taking their anger out in a 25-11 decision to go back ahead, 2-1. They controlled the third set as well, taking it 25-16 and bringing the weekend to an official close.

KEY STATS

Kennedy Robinson had a season-high 13 kills on 29 attack attempts, while adding a pair of solo blocks
Sophie Paspal had yet another strong showing, finishing 10 kills on just 19 attempts (.474 H%)
Radford set a new season-best hitting percentage in back-to-back matches, going for .180 this time out
Julia Slivka was named to the All-Tournament team after finishing with 34 assists

UP NEXT
There's a long break on the horizon for the Highlanders, giving the squad time to regroup and get healthy for a run at the Big South title. With tournaments now in the rear view mirror, Radford next plays High Point (Friday, Sept. 22) at 7 p.m. on the road.

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