RADFORD, Va. – Seeking to even the season series with the Highlanders after dropping a five-set match last month during the front half of Big South play, USC Upstate volleyball following its blueprint from a season ago, enacted its revenge and captured a four-set victory on Radford's home court. The victory marks the second straight for the Spartans inside the Dedmon Center after picking up the program's first in the building in late October 2024.
 
Following suit of the first meeting of the year between the two clubs that ended in eerily similar fashion to its 2024 counterpart, Saturday's match again proved a carbon copy of the second meeting between the two teams last season. As was the case a year ago, Upstate captured the first set before the Highlander countered to even things at the break. The Spartans commanded sets three and four, seeing just three ties and one lead change en route to the victory.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 3; Radford 1 (25-15; 22-25; 25-18; 25-14)
Records: USC Upstate (13-11; 6-5 Big South); Radford (8-17; 4-7 Big South)
Location: Dedmon Center | Radford, Va.
 
How It Happened
Entering the match off a career-best performance Friday at High Point, freshman outside hitter Summer Kohler kept her momentum rolling, once again, leading the Spartans in the kill column on the box score. She finished the day with 19 kills—a total equalling that of her career high entering the weekend slate—extending her team-best streak of matches with 10 or more kills to 12.
 
Concluding the afternoon with 330 kills on the campaign, Kohler's season total ranks as the fourth-best by a freshman in program history. Her count also stands as the sixth-best single-season mark in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.), the most by a Spartan since 2013.
 
The other attacker to reach double-figure kills in Saturday's match, senior setter Ady O'Grady tallied 11 terminations, giving her 314 kills on the year. Her total ranks 10^th best in a single season in the D1 era. Junior middle blocker Cora Hamilton turned in a career-high seven kills, finishing behind Kohler and O'Grady on the stat sheet.
 
A match after seeing Kohler set the freshman D1 era highwater mark of the primary statistical category for her position, freshman libero Sophia Overholt did the same for the Spartans Saturday. She picked up 10 digs, pushing her season total to 386, the most by a freshman in the D1 era and the fifth-most by a freshman in a single season in program history.
 
Sophomore setter Kamyla Vega David paced the Spartans' defense with 13 digs, combining the total with her 37 assists for her 14^th double-double of the year.
 
Adding to her career-high kill total, Hamilton led Upstate at the net with a career-best five total blocks, pacing the Spartans in the category for the second straight match. Freshman right-side hitter Kensley Haneline and Kohler also recorded multiple blocks, turning away three and two Highlander attempts, respectively.
 
In service, the Spartans landed a season-best 14 service aces, the most by the program since landing 14 against North Florida in 2023. Seven servers landed a winner for Upstate with five of the seven earning multiple winners, headlined by three apiece from Overholt and redshirt junior defensive specialist Emma DeSensi.
 
Notable

• Recording 10 digs Saturday, Sophia Overholt moved her season dig total to 386, the most in a single season by a freshman in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.). She moved past former Spartan Megan Healey (380 in 2007), putting Overholt's total as the fifth-most by a freshman in a season in program history. Kristin Korte with 406 digs in 1998, holds the freshman record.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Off the heels of the team's longest road swing of the season, the Spartans begin their longest homestand, closing the regular season with three straight home contests. Upstate begins the homestand with a pair of contests against Gardner-Webb and Winthrop next Friday and Saturday.
 
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