SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Spartans secured their fifth consecutive win Thursday evening as they took down Radford in straight sets (25-15, 25-12, 25-23) for the squad's fourth straight match sweep. Upstate now sits at 6-7 after getting off to a 1-7 start this season and continues to expand DI era records with 15 consecutive sets won.

"It was a solid win tonight, and I'm really proud of the girls. Overall, I thought it was great for us to come out so strong. We kind of let down a little bit in the third set, but I think sometimes that happens when you're up as strong as we were in the first two sets. I was very pumped to be able to finish it out with another sweep, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow," said head coach Ronda Shirley.

Alexis Mareko and Breeana Gamueda got things going for the Spartans with a block that sparked an early 5-0 run to take a 5-1 lead in the opening set. A kill from Kelly Wiedemann made it 7-3 before Upstate took five straight points once again to go up 12-4. The Spartans gained a 20-9 advantage and then the two teams went point-for-point until two straight Radford kills made it 22-13, still in favor of Upstate. The Spartans took the first set on back-to-back kills, one from Strobert followed by another from Mareko.

Gamueda opened set two with a kill and Upstate went on for a 5-0 run to take a 6-1 lead. A kill from Bruna Avila behind her back made it 8-3 before the Spartans built up to a 12-4 lead on a service ace from Mackenzie Marcum. Upstate's lead hit double digits after a pair of Radford errors made it 17-6. Gamueda ended the set with her team-high ninth kill of the night.

An early 5-0 Spartan run in the third frame was capped by a kill from Marcum for a 6-1 Upstate lead. The Highlanders chipped away at Upstate's lead and went on to erase their deficit twice midway through the set, the second time taking a 12-11 lead over the Spartans to force a timeout by the home team. Out of the timeout, Upstate responded with 10 straight points to regain the lead at 21-12. Radford answered with six straight points to pull within 23-19, but Courtney Coffy put down two late kills to secure the set and the match for Upstate.

Notes

• Breeana Gamueda tied her Upstate career-high of 14 kills to lead all players in the match. She also posted an Upstate career-high .355 hitting percentage alongside 11 digs for her third double-double of the season.
• Freshman Nikki Deslatte put down a career high 11 kills beside a .526 hitting percentage on the night.
• Briana Strobert tallied eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage with a pair of blocks in the match.
• Bruna Avila dished out 34 assists with nine digs.
• Libero Mackenzie Marcum collected 12 digs and had a kill in the third set.

UP Next for the Spartans
The Spartans will look to keep the streak alive tomorrow in their last home match of the season at 4 p.m. against Radford.

Spartans Win Today, You Save Tomorrow!
Save 50% off online orders at Papa John's locations across the Upstate. Use the code USCUP50 when placing online orders the day after Upstate victories. Also tomorrow, visit The Beacon Drive-In located in Spartanburg and show the win graphic posted to the @UpstateSpartans Instagram account to claim a free sweet tea as part of the "Sweet Taste of Victory" promotion. No purchase necessary.

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