SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Returning home to begin the final weekend of the front half of the team's Big South Conference schedule, USC Upstate volleyball looked to maintain its spot atop the tightly-grouped league standings Friday evening against Radford. As is becoming a custom for the Spartans during conference play, the match extended to five sets—the fourth time in six league matches and the fifth time overall this season—with Radford, for the second straight season, outlasting Upstate in a finish that came down to the match's final tallies.
 
For the second straight Friday night tilt, the Spartans erased a two-sets-to-none advantage at the break, seeking the club's second reverse sweep of the season. Despite seeing the Highlanders become the first to the eight-point mark in the final stanza, Upstate fought back to push the game past the point threshold and to extra markers, ultimately dropping the final frame 16-14.
 
Game Information
Score: Radford 3; USC Upstate 2 (25-20; 25-17; 12-25; 18-25; 16-14)
Records: USC Upstate (11-8; 4-2 Big South); Radford (8-12; 4-2 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
Entering the match off a career-high 31-dig night last Friday at Winthrop, freshman libero Sophia Overholt did herself one better in her latest Friday evening league match, securing an Upstate libero a career-high scoring total in the team's home match versus Radford for the second straight season. Overholt picked up a match-best and career-high 35 balls, posting the highest single-match dig total among Big South players this season. She spread her digs evenly among the match's five sets, plucking nine balls in the first, seven in the second, 10 in the third, six in the fourth, and three in the fifth.
 
Joining Overholt with 10-plus digs on the evening, sophomore defensive specialist Hannah Campbell scooped up 12 balls, reaching double-figures for the third straight match, tying her career-long streak of matches with 10 or more digs. She's picked up 10 or more digs in six of her past seven matches.
 
Offensively, for the first time in three matches, four Spartans closed the night with 10 or more kills. Freshman outside hitter Summer Kohler paced Upstate in the category for the second consecutive match, turning in 16 kills against the Highlanders. Rounding out the quartet, senior middle blocker Ady O'Grady, freshman middle blocker Kensley Haneline, and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Bri Brathol collected 13, 11, and 10 kills, respectively.
 
Adding to her 13 kills, O'Grady tallied four total blocks, one solo block and three block assists, leading the Spartans and pushing her career block total to 319. She breaks a tie with former Spartan Morgan Thomas for second on the Division I era (2007-pres.) career leaderboard, setting her sights on the top spot occupied by Emily Koelling (323).
 
Notable

• Recording 35 digs Friday night, Sophia Overholt's total ties for the second-most in a single match in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.), tying former Spartan Kaleigh Kelley's total versus Gardner-Webb on Aug. 30, 2016, for the spot.
• Overholt's total also ties for the fourth-most digs in a single match in program history, equalling Kelley's total and the total of former Spartan Brittany Harry versus Rollins on Aug. 10, 2004.
• Adding four total blocks to her career total, Ady O'Grady passes former Spartan Morgan Thomas on the program's D1 era career leaderboard, moving into sole possession of second place on the list.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Wrapping its weekend of Big South action, USC Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center Saturday afternoon against High Point. First serve is set for 4 p.m. ET.
 
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