RADFORD, Va. --- Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.) led the way for Gardner-Webb with 13 kills and 13 digs to account for a double-double as league-leading Radford rallied for a four-set victory over the Runnin' Bulldogs in Big South Conference play on Friday evening.

Radford (21-7, 11-2 Big South) won the match by scores of 23-25, 25-16, 25-21 and 25-22, attacking at a .294 clip while holding Gardner-Webb (12-19, 5-8 Big South) to a hitting percentage of .194. The Highlanders accounted for 65 kills, 58 digs and five blocks on the night as Gardner-Webb tallied 48 smashes, 61 digs and seven blocks.

"Tonight was a tough match against one of the top teams in the conference," said head coach Leo Sayles. "There was great competition on both sides of the net. It was a great team effort but we were a little short. We'll seek to close out conference play with a win."

Starr paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with 13 kills and 13 digs, as Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) and Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) and Dyson accounted for match-highs of 29 digs and five blocks, respectively, while Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) chipped in nine kills. Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) dished out 44 assists.

Rachel Wiechecki led all hitters with 20 kills for Radford while adding 23 digs for a double-double. Megan Short posted 16 kills of her own, as Maddie Palmer tallied 15 smashes and a .293 hitting percentage. Jena Braden dished out a match-high 60 assists for the Highlanders.

Gardner-Webb jumped out to an early 4-2 lead in the first set before Radford responded, snatching a 9-7 advantage following a Wiechecki kill to cap a 7-3 spurt. The Runnin' Bulldogs quickly countered with a 9-7 run, evening the tally at 16-16 with a Starr smash before opening a slim 19-18 margin on a dump by Feldman.

The Highlanders answered with three straight points, reclaiming the advantage at 21-19 following a Palmer kill. Gardner-Webb wasted little time in replying, pushing the Highlanders to set point at 24-23 with a tandem block by Cockrell and Dyson before closing out the frame on the next rally.

Radford battled back in the second, opening the set with a 10-6 run before pushing the advantage to 15-9 with a Short smash. The Highlanders would stretch the margin to 20-12 with a 5-3 spurt to put the set out of reach, tying the match at 1-1 moments later with a Wiechecki kill.

Gardner-Webb responded with seven of the first 10 points in the third, opening a 7-3 lead on an ace by Kelly McNamara (Hendersonville, N.C.) before Radford fought back with a 5-0 spurt to take a narrow 8-7 advantage on an ace by Savanna Burton.

After the Highlanders widened the gap to 15-12 with a 7-5 spurt, Gardner-Webb fought back with a 7-3 run of its own, reclaiming the lead at 19-18 following a Montour kill. Radford quickly countered with seven of the next nine points, rallying for a 25-21 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Highlanders carried the momentum into the fourth, opening the frame with an 8-5 run before Gardner-Webb fought back to knot the score at 11-11. The teams battled back and forth for the remainder of the set, with Radford claiming a 22-19 lead on a Palmer kill to cap a 3-0 spurt. Radford would close out the set from there, holding off a late Gardner-Webb push and capping the night with a smash from Palmer to seal the victory.

Gardner-Webb closes out the regular season on Saturday at Liberty, squaring off with the Flames at 2:00 pm in Lynchburg, Va.