Round 1 Recap: Appalachian State vs. Radford

RADFORD 3, APPALACHIAN STATE 1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-19)

Clemson, SC – Radford stumbled early but came back strong to post a win in Round 1 of the NIVC, moving past Appalachian State and earning a spot opposite Clemson on Friday (7 p.m. ET).

Becky Porter had 14 assists in the first set as the Mountaineers held on after nearly blowing a nine-point lead (21-12). Radford rode the momentum from that rally and used a 7-0 run in the second set to build a lead, and Haley Kleespies finished the game off for the Highlanders with two aces.

Radford (22-6) moved ahead 2-1 after the third set; at that point Mallory McNight and Amaya Rousseau had combined for 19 kills and no errors.

In the fourth set, the Highlanders built a small lead, 20-18, then sprinted to the finish with a match-capping kill by McNight. She closed with 16 kills and just one error. Stephanie Neast had 12 kills, and Kleespies finished with 46 assists.

Kara Spicer had 16 kills for the Mountaineers (22-9); Emma Longley added 13 kills and Porter closed with 44 assists.