SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Despite falling down two sets to none to open its match Saturday, USC Upstate volleyball didn't let the deficit deter it as it battled back to tie the match and force a decisive fifth set with back-to-back set victories before falling just short in a five-set match against Radford by scores of 16-25, 17-25, 25-7, 25-13, 8-15.
 
Erasing a two-set deficit, the Spartans crafted a .339 team hitting efficiency (26-5-62) and totaled 7.0 total team blocks over the third and fourth sets leading Upstate to a pair of set victories where it outscored the Highlanders 50-20. Over the same two sets, the Upstate defense held Radford to a -.119 hitting percentage, forcing the Highlanders to double-up their total kills with errors (eight to 16).
 
Over the match's five-set duration, Upstate held Radford to a .103 team hitting efficiency as the team's defense secured its fourth match—of eight total Big South matches—with either double-figure total team blocks or 15.0 or more digs per set, occurring together for the third time in league play. The Spartans recorded 11.0 total team blocks and averaged 15.2 digs per set (76 total digs) in the match.
 
Leading the team's defense, freshman middle blocker Ady O'Grady tied her career-high with 13 digs and added five total blocks as she was one of three Spartans with double-figure digs and tied for the team lead in total blocks Saturday. Adding 10 kills behind a .364 hitting efficiency offensively, she recorded the first double-double of her career.
 
Pacing the Upstate floor defense, sophomore libero Julia Gladhill and junior Emma McElveen combined to scoop up 37 of the team's 76 digs, joining O'Grady with double-digit digs. Gladhill led the Spartans with a match-high 19 digs while McElveen joined O'Grady with a double-double—her second of the season—adding a career-high 18 digs and tying a season-high with 26 assists.
 
Offensively, senior right-side hitter Briana Strobert recorded a season-high 15 kills to lead the Spartans, doing so with a match-high .424 hitting percentage (min. 12 kills). She led Upstate with 33 attempts, committing just one error to fashion her match-best hitting efficiency.
 
Behind Strobert and O'Grady in the kill column of the box score was sophomore outside hitter Ashleigh Nicoll (seven kills), junior middle blocker Nikki Deslatte (six kills), junior outside hitter Zelasia Edwards (five kills), and junior right-side hitter Ali Jansen (five kills). Deslatte crafted her six kills on a .286 hitting efficiency as she also added five total blocks to tie O'Grady for the team lead in the category.
 
UP Next for the Spartans
Following a two-match home stint, the Spartans head back on the road Thursday evening as Big South play continues. Upstate begins the rematch portion of the team's league slate with a trip to High Point as Thursday's match features a 6 p.m. ET first serve.
 
JOIN UP 
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes!  Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today! 
 
Keep UP with the Spartans 
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics 
Twitter | @UpstateVB @UpstateSpartans 
Instagram | @UpstateVB @UpstateSpartans 
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans