Highlanders Sweep Chattanooga and Norfolk State to Open Radford Invitational

Friday, September 18

Radford, Va.

1:00 PM

Radford University

4-8,0-0Big South

Chattanooga

4-6,0-0SoCon

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Chattanooga	20	27	19	0
Radford	25	29	25	3

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Norfolk St.	23	15	26	0
Radford	25	25	28	3

Photo by: Matthew Maldonado

Highlanders Sweep Chattanooga and Norfolk State to Open Radford Invitational

9/18/2026 9:56:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford volleyball team enjoyed the friendly confines of the Dedmon Center on Friday, taking down Chattanooga in three sets before sending an enthusiastic crowd home happy in a three-set triumph over Norfolk State.

This is the first weekend with a pair of three-set wins for the Highlanders since Oct. 4 & 5, 2024 (vs. Charleston Southern and Presbyterian) and the first in the same day since Sept. 13, 2024 (vs. West Georgia and Nicholls).

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (CHATTANOOGA)

Junior Addison Cunnagin had a game to remember, totaling 17 kills (a new season high) with a .361 hitting percentage.
Macie Potter and Aubrey Hatch also added nine kills in the victory.
Lea Gage reached 40+ assists for the fourth time this season, this time accomplishing the feat in just three sets.
The Highlanders outhit Chattanooga at a .236 to .153 clip, including a .231 to .086 difference in the first set.
Radford totaled 64 digs, with Mia Jannazzo leading the team with 19 and Cunnagin adding 17.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (NORFOLK STATE)

Cunnagin led the Highlanders once again with 12 kills, with Maja Bochenek getting 11 to reach double figures.
Cunnagin finished with a terrific .381 hitting percentage in game two of the day, while Katrina Miller had a brow-raising .471 hitting percentage with nine kills.
The Highlanders finished with 13 aces in the three matches, including six from Cunnagin.
Jannazzo totaled 13 digs to lead all players.
Radford as a team dominated Norfolk State in most statistical categories, including kills (49-31), aces (13-4), and digs (43-32).

PLAY BY PLAY (CHATTANOOGA)
Macie Potter got the Highlanders off to a great start, scoring an ace to begin set one. The Mocs rallied back to take a 5-3 lead before Hatch got hot on serves, and Gage set her teammates up perfect for four straight kills. Radford's lead would hold steady at three points until a host of attack errors by Chattanooga made Radford's advantage 13-8. The lead later grew to 18-10 after Jannazzo's service ace and a kill from Bochenek. It was 22-12 Highlanders after a few more Chattanooga attack errors, and Taryn Roberts put it away with a kill for a 25-20 final.

Roberts began set two the way she started set one, with a kill. After a Mocs spurt, the Highlanders took control again early with Hatch scoring three aces in four points to make it 6-3. Chattanooga would get the lead back, but not too far out in front, as a couple of Cunnagin kills gave Radford the lead into the media timeout, 15-14. Chattanooga appeared reenergized after the break, pulling ahead 21-16 and 23-18 late, but four straight points by the Highlanders led by some clutch Jannazzo serves and yet another Cunnagin kill brought the score to 23-22. The Mocs failed to get the final point at 24-22 and 24-23, as the Highlanders drew even at 24 all after a Chattanooga attack error. Several kills by Cunnagin and Potter put Radford on the brink, and a late attack error by the Mocs gave Radford a 29-27 triumph and a two-set lead.

In set three, the Mocs won the race to 10 but were held in check after that. Four straight points, with three of the four won by Cunnagin and Hatch kills, made it 12-10 Highlanders. The teams were neck and neck until Radford scored four of five points after being tied 15-15, with a Rose Whitemountain ace and later a Hatch kill made it 19-16. Chattanooga managed to get within one once again, but a service error opened the door for Jannazzo and the Highlanders, as the server helped Radford take their first three-set win of the season.

PLAY BY PLAY (NORFOLK STATE)
With Radford coming off a win and Norfolk State off an early loss to Bellarmine, the momentum was in the Highlanders favor in the night cap. The Spartans were undaunted early, pulling ahead 16-9 after multiple Highlander miscues. A five-point run for Radford brought them within one (17-16), as kills by Cunnagin, Potter, and Bochenek put them right back in the contest. Norfolk State bounced back to go ahead 21-16, but another five-point run for Radford tied things at 21-21. The Spartans had the contest in reach leading 23-22, but a Hatch kill tied things at 23-23 before an attack error for Norfolk State and a Potter kill gave Radford a thrilling come-from-behind 25-23 triumph.

Radford again found themselves down early, but managed to battle back before Norfolk State could get much further past 10 points. Several service aces for Jannazzo gave Radford a 15-11 advantage, and an Ela Shepherd ace made it 17-13 moments later. The Highlanders scored each of the final seven points, cruising to a 25-15 win after multiple aces by Cunnagin.

The wear and tear was evident to begin the third match, as both sides struggled to put together many strong attacks. Cunnigan and Hatch went back-to-back to pull the Highlanders ahead 11-8. A few more kills by Cunnagin and Potter, followed by an ace by Cunnagin, made it 15-11. Norfolk State battled back, fighting off three straight match points to make it 24-24, which included a winning challenge that kept their fight alive. However, Roberts helped put things away once again, winning back-to-back points on attacks to make it another three-set win.

UP NEXT
The Highlanders conclude the Radford Invitational in what's essentially a winner-take-all contest against Bellarmine, who also won both of their Friday games. Chattanooga plays Norfolk State at 1:00 p.m., with Radford and Bellarmine battling at 4:00 p.m. from the Dedmon Center. Both contests are free to attend and can be seen live on ESPN+.

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