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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
SierraMoore
Ethan Neal
3
Winner Radford Rad 3-9,0-0 Big South
0
Virginia Tech VT 8-3,0-0 ACC
Winner
Radford Rad
3-9,0-0 Big South
3
Final
0
Virginia Tech VT
8-3,0-0 ACC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Radford Rad 25 25 26 (3)
Virginia Tech VT 23 19 24 (0)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Takes Down Virginia Tech in Dominant 3-0 Sweep

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Radford volleyball program dominated their New River Valley neighbor Virginia Tech Friday afternoon to the tune of a 3-0 sweep to earn their first power victory since 2022.
 
KEY STATS
  • The Highlanders' offense came from a balanced attack with five different players finishing with 5+ kills led by Sloss' third straight match in double figures.
  • Sierra Moore nearly missed a double-double with her nine kills and 11 digs.
  • Gabriela Smolenska was perfect on the attack with three kills on three total attacks while also tallying a solo block and four block assists.
  • Radford held their opponents to a sub-200 hitting percentage in both their matches at the Virginia Tech Classic.
  • The victory over Virginia Tech is the second straight for Radford, last beating the Hokies by a similar 3-0 finish in 2017.
  • The victory is also the first over a power foe by head coach Savanna Hammond, in her first full season guiding Radford.
 
PLAY BY PLAY
The first set went back and forth throughout and proved big in Radford setting the tone. Sloss, coming off two impressive matches earlier this week, immediately made an impact with two early kills. Down 5-7, Radford got a 5-0 run behind kills from Aubrey Hatch, Sloss, Sierra Moore and an ace by Lea Gage to retake a lead.
 
Virginia Tech responded with four unanswered points to retake the lead. Radford was behind by three points as late as 16-19 but dug deep for a late rally. A kill from Hatch followed by three errors from the Hokies saw Radford quickly take a 20-19 edge. Out of a timeout, Radford and Virginia Tech traded points up to a 23-23 tie. Kills from Taryn Roberts and Hatch sealed the deal for Radford, who took the early 1-0 lead behind the 25-23 first set win.
 
Two major runs would prove the difference maker for Radford in set two. Down 5-7 early, Radford got its first big run at 6-0. Moore began the rally with a kill followed by back-to-back blocks from Gabriela Smolenska and Aubrey Hatch. An ace from Roberts and another kill from Moore put Radford up 11-7.
 
Virginia Tech came out of a timeout to tie the set at 11-11, but Radford had another big run in store. This time Radford rattled off seven unanswered points. Behind an ace and kill from Moore, Olivia Ryno and Smolenska both added kills to reestablish an 18-13 lead and force another Virginia Tech timeout.
 
The Hokies would tighten the set back up at 19-17 out of the timeout, but the Highlanders used another 5-0 burst to get across the finish line. More points off the hands of Smolenska, Sloss Roberts and Ryno paved the way for a team effort to win in the second set 25-19.
 
Now up 2-0, the Highlanders looked to protect their lead and ensure a sweep. After falling behind a bit early, Radford got back ahead thanks to a trio of Hokies attack errors. Down again 8-6, Radford scored four straight behind two kills from Moore, a kill from Sloss and an ace from Gage.
 
The Highlanders stayed hot behind Sloss, who recorded two more kills, as Radford held their lead 15-11. Radford burst ahead with another 3-0 run thanks to another kill from Moore to lead 21-15. The match seemed in the bag, but the Hokies came alive for their longest run of the day. Scoring eight unanswered, suddenly Virginia Tech led the set 23-21.
 
Radford called a timeout, regrouped, and rattled off three straight points thanks to a serving error, a kill by Moore and a Hokies attack error. Now ahead 24-23, Virginia Tech extended the set tying things at 24. Sloss finished the match off for Radford with back-to-back kills to win set three 26-24 and the match 3-0.
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders will return home this upcoming Monday, September 22nd to host North Carolina Central. First serve is set for 6 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+ for the final tune-up before beginning conference play.

STAY SOCIAL WITH RADFORD VOLLEYBALL
For all the latest on Radford Volleyball, be sure to follow the team on X (@RadfordVB), Instagram (@radfordvb), and "like" the team's official Facebook Page (Radford Volleyball).
 
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