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SPORTS

THE TARTAN Oct. 26, 2011

Radford Volleyball sweeps Presbyterian College 3-0

Highlanders start weekend out with a bang, then fizzle late against Winthrop University with a 0-3 shutout loss.
HALEY SHOTWELL
hshotwell@radford.edu
The Radford University Volleyball team traveled to South Carolina for two important Big South conference matches over the weekend. The first game to take place was against Presbyterian College on Oct. 21. The Highlanders pounded the ball across the net and took an early five to one lead with a strong offensive attack. Senior middle blocker Carly Fleming had four kills and junior opposite side hitter Emily Hayes had three kills in route to winning the first game 25-21. The second game was a nail-biter as the Blue Hose would not go away and made RU work for everything. The Highs were down 21-20 when they went on a run. Along with the help of blocks by Fleming and sophomore outside hitter Jesse Miedema and kills by sophomore outside hitter Emily Carlin, RU regained the lead and went on a five to one run that closed out the game to give them the two to nothing game advantage going into the third game. The third game started out close but did not remain that way. Presbyterian kept up with Radford for a while but then it all went down hill for the Blue Hose as the Highs went on to rout Presbyterian 25-12. With the sweep, the Highlanders record improved to 11-12 overall and 5-3 in Big South Conference play. Presbyterian College fell to 8-15 on the year and 3-5 in conference play. Fleming led RU with nine kills, a .643 attack percentage, and six total blocks in the match. Hayes and Miedema contributed as well with seven kills each. On the day, Radford had a .306 hitting percentage. The Highlanders, ranked third in the Big South, then traveled to Winthrop University to take on the second place team in the conference on Oct. 22. The first game went back and forth with three lead changes. But after the Highs scored their 22nd point in the game, the Eagles turned up the heat and rallied to score five straight points to give them the one game advantage, 25-22. Radford started off game two strong again with a four to one lead but Winthrop used a ten to three rally to take the lead. Winthrop would continue to hold on to that lead for the rest of the game. RU did manage to come within one point of the Eagles when the score was 13-12 but another strong offensive attack by Winthrop gave them a 2215 lead. The Highs put up one last fight with five straight points, four of which were kills but Winthrop answered with three kills by Carolyn Weed to clinch the second game. The third game proved to be easy for the Eagles as they led the entire game. Winthrop started strong with an eleven to three lead and the Highlanders could never recover. RU did manage to get as close as three on multiple occasions but then their momentum was stopped short as the Eagles made a push to keep them on top. Winthrop clinched the match with a 25-21 victory in the third set. The loss dropped the Highlanders to 1113 and 5-4. Carlin stepped up in this match with team high 10 kills and nine digs. The Highs will have a five-day break before they hit the road again on Oct. 28 with a match against the Liberty University Flames at 7 p.m. in Lynchburg.

Photos by COURTNEY EARLL | The Tartan

RU Volleyball is now 11-13 overall on the season, and own a 5-4 mark in the Big South conference.

Though they own a positive record in Big South, RU is being outscored on the season 1093-1126.

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From page 7
momentarily keep the shutout alive. Grande went on to score his 2nd goal of the game in the 18th minute off an assist from senior forward Iyiola Awosika. Grande rebounded the ball after Awosikas shot hit the post and nailed it in the net. On the goal, Grande said, Iyiola made a fantastic play in the 2nd goal. I just got lucky to put it in. Virginia Tech midelder Ben Strong answered with a goal of his own just 29 seconds later. The goal was assisted by defender Drew Ranahan and midelder David Fiorello. At the end of the half, the Highs led 2-1. In the 73rd minute of the game, Techs Fiorello received the Hokies second yellow card of the game. In the 78th minute, Radford freshman midelder Dario Redando got a yellow card. After an eventful rst half, neither team was able to score in the second half, despite many chances by both. Radford ended the game with 14 shots to Virginia Techs six. Radford eventually triumphed by a score of 2-1. This is the second time in three years that the Highlanders have beaten the Hokies. Radford outplayed Tech in the match, and as Head Coach Mark Reeves said, We deserved to win. We created some good chances to score. It was a very physical match between the teams. Radford committed 13 fouls in the game to Virginia Techs 19. On the physical nature of the game, Gwanzura said, We have to be physical, but we also have to be clean. The win propelled Radfords overall record over .500, at 8-7. Their next match comes against Gardner-Webb University on Oct. 29. at 6 p.m.

JON HUFF | The Tartan

The Highlanders have had an up and down season thus far. After snapping a three game losing streak that ended a month ago, the Highs have now won three out of their last four matches.

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From page 7
teams played really well. It was a really tough game and you know we had a couple half chances, they got a half chance, they nished it you know and we have to do a better job defending. The Highlanders recorded a total of 10 shots on goal in what was one of the more physically aggressive matches of the season. Close to the end of the game, freshman midelder Stephanie Herb was given a yellow card. There were a total of 21 fouls in the night, 10 of them being called against Radford and 11 on High Point. The rst half ended with the Highlanders holding a 5-2 advantage in shots, neither team being able to nish any opportunities, and the second half saw the intensity level increase. 13 of the games 21 fouls were in the second half, and there were two more in the overtime period when regulation ended with the score remaining at a 0-0 tie. High Point nally came away with the victory about six minutes into overtime, and the Highlanders were handed their rst conference loss of the season. Radford wasted no time in bouncing back, however, with a 3-2 road win over the Liberty Flames on Oct. 22. Libertys a tough game, Sohrabi said. Its a tough place to play and theyre a good team. The Highlanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the rst half, with the rst goal coming from sophomore midelder Rachel Conway, who managed to rebound a loose ball from a free kick just eight minutes into the game, then sophomore forward Sahar Aaki, also managed to take advantage of a free kick for the Highlanders, giving them a 2-0 lead with about 12 minutes remaining until the half. Sophomore defender Sydney Golden tallied the assists for both goals. Less than 10 minutes into the second half, sophomore forward Julie Ruh`e put away the goal that ultimately became the winning one for the Highlanders with junior forward Mary Wiley recording the assist. The Highlanders now held a commanding 3-0 lead, and nally the Flames came around to give them a scare, as sophomore forward Casey Norris and freshman defender Geena Swentik put in two goals for Liberty, both of which came within just three minutes of each other. Their efforts werent quite enough, as Radford was able to hold them off after that, and the Highlanders recorded the 3-2 victory. They have only allowed three goals in conference games so far this season. On Oct. 25, the Highs defeated Virginia Military Institute 4-0 to secure the Big South regular season championship. Although there is one conference game left, its now impossible for any team to catch them for rst place. The win lifted Radford to a record of 13-4 (8-1), and the next contest for them will be away against Campbell University on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.

Photos by JON HUFF | The Tartan

Freshman midfielder Alayna Henby has started eight games this season in her first year with the team, and has scored one goal on the season.

Senior goalkeeper Lisa Lubke, along with the rest of the RU seniors, is now a two-time Big South conference regular season champion. The Highs shared the 2010 title in a five-way tie.