RADFORD, V.A. – Winthrop volleyball found itself back in the win column Thursday evening after sweeping the Highlanders 25-22, 25-16 and 25-12. The team improved to 6-3 on the season, while Radford fell to 3-8.
 
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
Nikkia Benitez (10 kills, 9 digs)
Isabel Schaefbauer (14 assists, 4 aces)
Jana Owens (17 assists, 1 ace)
Morgan Bossler (4 blocks)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 was a back-and-forth battle for the Eagles and Highlanders. The set saw five early lead changes, before Winthrop started to pull away going up 11-7. The Highlanders responded with a 5-0 run to tie things up at 12 and even take a 14-12 lead. Winthrop tied things up at 15 apiece but Radford wouldn't back down. They put up back-to-back-to-back points to go ahead three, 18-15. Winthrop outscored the Highlanders 6-1 down the stretch, securing the 25-22 win.
 
Winthrop took an early 7-4 lead over the Highlanders. The Eagles had seven spurts of two consecutive points or more that assisted in consistently staying ahead in the set. A 7-2 run for the Eagles late in the set gave them a comfortable 23-13 lead before eventually winning the match 25-16.
 
The Eagles jumped out to a big 12-2 lead in the third set and never looked back. During that stretch, Schaefbauer had three of her four services aces. A 4-0 run for the Highlanders made it 14-8 but Winthrop wouldn't let up. The Highlanders were plagued with errors in the set, allowing Winthrop to earn nine points off their mistakes. An 8-1 run late in the set gave the Eagles a dominant 25-12 set win, securing the match sweep.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles will look to sweep not just the match, but the season series as these teams face-off Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. inside the Dedmon Center.