BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Radford hit .302 with 49 kills, holding Gardner-Webb to a .209 hitting percentage as the Runnin' Bulldogs fell to the Highlanders in straight sets on Friday evening.
 
Radford (12-1, 2-0 Big South) took the match by scores of 25-22, 25-16, and 25-18, as Gardner-Webb (6-8, 0-2 Big South) was held to 32 kills on the evening.
 
Nicole Celarek led the Runnin' Bulldog attack with nine kills, while Kaelyn Dyson led the team in blocks with four.  Abbey Sprinkle led GWU with 14 assists and Emma Milstead had a team-high 12 digs.
 
Radford was led by Maddie Palmer with 15 kills, while Mallory McKnight had three blocks.  Haley Kleespies had a match-high 40 assists, and Alyssa Carruth had eight digs to lead the Highlanders.
 
The opening set was tightly contested throughout, with 10 ties and six lead changes.  Radford would lead by three points at 18-15, but the Runnin' Bulldogs would respond with three straight points to tie the match at 18-18 on a block by Dyson.  The match would once again be tied at 21-21 after an attack error by Radford's Stephanie Neast, but the Highlanders would take four of the next five points to claim the first set by a score of 25-22.
 
Gardner-Webb would build a brief three-point lead at 9-6 after a kill by Dyson to open the second set, but Radford would respond with a 7-3 run to take a 13-12 lead.  GWU would tie the set on the next point on a smash by Celarek, but the Highlanders would answer with an 8-1 run to take a 21-14 lead and control of the set.  Radford would go on to take the set, 25-16, and hold a 2-0 advantage into the intermission.
 
After the break, the Runnin' Bulldogs would hold a quick 5-4 lead to start the third set on a kill by Maria Emmick, but a pair of long scoring runs by the Highlanders would give Radford a 17-9 lead, leading to a GWU timeout.  Gardner-Webb would go on a late 5-2 run to pull within five points at 23-18 after a Dyson kill, but Radford would score the next two points to claim the set, 25-18, and the overall match win.
 
Tonight was Gardner-Webb's "Dig Lime" match, in which the team wore lime green jerseys to raise awareness for lymphoma research.  Former Gardner-Webb volleyball player and current graduate assistant coach Heather Feldman was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphomia in November 2016, and after treatment, was declared to be in remission in May 2017.  The team raised money in Feldman's honor for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) over the past few weeks, with additional donations taking place during the 10-minute intermission.  Following the match, it was announced that a total of over $5,000 had been raised for the LLS.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to the court on Tuesday, September 26, hosting UNC Asheville at 7:00 pm.  The match can be seen on the Big South Network (www.bigsouthsports.com).