RADFORD, Va. ? Presbyterian College volleyball rebounded after dropping the first set to win the next three and earn a 3-1 victory over Radford on Saturday afternoon at Peters Hall (17-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18).
PC (5-13, 2-4 Big South) established a .406 attack percentage in the second set, a 25-20 victory. Sophomore Lisa Shelley (Columbia, S.C./Blythewood) and senior Heather Swain (Woodruff, S.C./Southside Christian) led the team with five kills apiece while sophomore Amanda Kettles (Canton, Ga./Cherokee) added four.
The Blue Hose jumped to an early 6-2 lead in the third set behind serves by senior Rachel Lewis (Bloomington, Ill./Tri-Valley) and Shelley. The Highlanders began to catch up and were able to keep within two points of PC for the majority of the game until Swain's kill followed by a service ace by sophomore Ashley Dunlap (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) gave the team an 18-14 lead. The Blue Hose began to distance themselves from the Highlanders and ultimately won the set 25-19 off a kill by junior Kelsey McKee (Greenville, S.C./Eastside).
PC continued to assert its offensive dominance in the fourth set as they went on an early 12-4 run. Kettles gave the team its initial lead with a kill to give PC a 4-3 advantage. The Blue Hose then reeled off five points behind Dunlap's serves. Radford took the ball back at 8-4 but its possession was short-lived as Kettles attacked the ball on the next serve to return possession to PC. Sophomore Carolyn Fabros (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) served four times before possession was returned to the Highlanders to make the score 12-5.
The two teams traded points as until Swain's kill gave the Blue Hose a 22-17 lead and possession. After a Radford attack error off a Fabros serve, the Highlanders took a timeout in an attempt to disrupt PC's momentum. The plan didn't work, however, and three plays later Shelley earned match point with a kill off a Lewis assist.
The Blue Hose played smart defense in the third and fourth sets, holding the Highlanders to .057 and .059 attack percentages. Sophomore Elizabeth Heineman (Normal, Ill./Normal Community West) registered a game-high 13 digs while the team made five blocks, led by the only solo block of the game by Kettles.
Shelley led all players with 16 kills while Kettles tallied 14 and Swain added 10. Lewis added 42 assists to her season total to bring it to 442.
PC has a five-day rest period before the host Coastal Carolina on Oct. 17 and Charleston Southern on Oct. 18.
