RADFORD, Va. – Capturing their sixth straight win in the process, Winthrop closed its 2021 regular season with a 3-0 road sweep of Radford.
Winthrop (17-9, 12-4 Big South) | Radford (5-22, 3-12 Big South)
Nov. 12, 2021 | Dedmon Center
Winthrop 3, Radford 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-23)
How it Happened
Set 1 | Winthrop got off to a strong start by taking three of the first four points, including an
Alayna Jansky service ace. The Highlanders stayed close, but a
Nikkia Benitez kill gave the Eagles an 8-4 lead that they would never relinquish. Later, with Winthrop leading 12-10, the Eagles won six straight points, with the last two of those coming on consecutive service aces by Jansky. Radford continued to battle and closed within 22-17, but three straight points from Winthrop ended the set, with
Jana Owens' service ace being the punctuation.
Set 2 | Similarly to the first stanza, the Eagles took an early 5-2 lead on a kill from
Karli Shepherd. Once again, Radford was pesky, tying the set at 7 and staying close throughout. Winthrop led 11-10 before embarking on a 7-0 run to blow the set open. The last point came on a
Madison Gorniak service ace. The Highlanders won eight of the next 11 points to get within 23-18, but consecutive points from the Eagles, including a
Morgan Bossler kill, gave Winthrop a 25-18 set triumph and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set 3 | Winthrop won the first seven points of the set and threatened to run away with the match, but once again, Radford simply would not go away and made life very hard for the visitors. The Highlanders clawed and scratched throughout the early half of the set, eventually getting within 12-11. A Bossler kill gave the Eagles a 15-12 lead, but Radford eventually tied the set at 20 and eventually went ahead 23-21, giving their home crowd a great showing. However, after a timeout, Winthrop won the final four points to take the match.
Statistical Standouts
- Karli Shepherd (13 kills, .481 hitting percentage, five digs, three blocks)
- Morgan Bossler (10 kills, .429 hitting percentage, four blocks, one dig)
- Brookelynn Thomas (eight kills, four digs, one block)
- Jana Owens (34 assists, six digs, five kills)
Up Next
Winthrop awaits their seeding for the Big South Conference tournament.
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