Radford, Va. – Winthrop secured their eighth straight win and a regular-season sweep of Radford on the road by a final score of 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-22).
Winthrop (10-11, 9-1 Big South) | Radford (4-15, 3-7 Big South)
Oct. 27, 2023 | Dedmon Center
Winthrop 3, Radford 0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-22)
How it Happened
Set 1 | Down 7-6 in the early going despite two kills each by
Brookelynn Thomas and
Avery Jolley up to that point, Winthrop closed out the set with an emphatic 19-8 run, including seven straight points that put the Eagles up 17-8.
Karli Shepherd led the run with four kills. Shepherd's third kill during the run put Winthrop up double digits for the first time in the match at 20-10 and then five plays later a Jolley kill put Winthrop up 11 points at 23-12. After Radford scored three straight points, Jolley fittingly ended the set with two consecutive kills.
Set 2 | With the Eagles ahead 6-2 to start the second set, Radford went on a 9-3 to take an 11-9 lead. Down by two, Winthrop scored four straight points to vault back into the lead, 13-11. The Highlanders then responded by scoring seven of the next 11 points to tie it at 17 only to see Winthrop score four straight points once again to seize a 21-17 lead. The home team would not go away, scoring four of the next five points to cut it to one at 22-21. However, Winthrop finished the frame strong by scoring three of the next four points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set 3 | Trailing 8-6 in what would prove to be the final set of the evening, Winthrop scored five straight points to take an 11-8 lead. Shepherd led the mini rally with two kills. The Eagles could not pull away after that, as the rest of the set became a back-and-forth battle. The two teams alternated points on the next couple of plays until
Lexie Vick's kill gave Winthrop their largest lead of the set at 16-12. The Highlanders then fought all the way back by scoring 10 of the next 16 points to tie the set at 22. Unfazed, consecutive kills by
Isabella Murray, Thomas and Jolley put Radford away for good.
Notables
- The Eagles have played 1,795 matches all-time as the program holds a mark of 1,068-727.
- Jolley led the Eagles in kills with 17.
- Thomas led the Eagles in blocks with nine.
- Murray led the Eagles in assists with 35.
- Madison Gorniak led the Eagles in digs with 13.
UP NEXT
The Eagles travel to High Point tomorrow for a re-match with the conference-leading Panthers. The matchup will be a significant one, as first place in the Big South will be on the line. The match will be on ESPN+ with a 2 p.m. start.
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