RADFORD, Va. – Charleston Southern used strong defense and a balance attack on their way to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-23) sweep of Radford Saturday night in Big South volleyball action.

The Buccaneers (3-0, 3-0 Big South) got off to a strong start hitting .423 on their way to a dominant 25-14 win in set one to set the tone for the rest of the match. Radford (2-1, 2-1 Big South) became the second Big South foe to succumb to the Bucs' stingy defense as the Highlanders never hit above .075 in a single set and finished the night at .053 as a whole.

Paige Reagor, who earned Big South Player of the Week honors for her efforts against Winthrop, had another 10 kills and five blocks hitting .471 while Dayana Chara had a breakout Saturday night with 10 kills and two blocks as well as four digs.

Peyton Thompson had a team-high 13 digs and eight kills while Gabby Naniseni had six kills and Emma Minnick added three service aces and 30 assists.

Radford was led by eight kills from Morgan Lawson and Hannah Flowers, but had 24 errors and only 29 kills. The win made it a 3-0 start to Big South play for the Bucs and extends the streak over the Highlanders to four-straight dating back to the 2018 season. The sweep was also the first three-set decision between the two since the 2017 season.

First Set

• Charleston Southern dominated from start to finish in the opening set grabbing a 25-14 win
• Dayana Chara and Paige Reagor had four kills each while Peyton Thompson added three as the Bucs hit .423 as a team in the opening set
• The defense, which held Winthrop below .200 both matches last week, held the high-flying Highlander attack to just .036 to open the match
• Thompson and Reagor each had a solo block in the defensive effort and three total team blocks

Second Set

• After falling behind 12-7, Dayana Chara sparked a 12-0 Buccaneer run to grab a commanding 19-12 lead flipping the script
• Chara's four kills paced the Bucs in the second while Thompson had three and Reagor added a pair
• The defense was stifling once again in the second holding the Highlanders to .036 for a second-straight set to open the match
• Emma Minnick added three service aces and the Bucs had two more blocks including a solo effort from Reagor to secure the set point

Third Set

• Charleston Southern got ahead 7-1 early in the set forcing a Highlander timeout, but the home team wouldn't go away quietly
• Both teams traded points back-and-forth before the Highlanders built a 23-20 lead out of a timeout
• Two kills from Paige Reagor, one from Peyton Thompson and two errors from the Highlanders led to a 5-0 Buccaneer run to close the match and secure the sweep
• Both Reagor and Dayana Chara secure their 10th kills in the final set while blocking a pair of Highlander attempts

Standout Performances

• Junior outside hitter Dayana Chara had a breakout night with 10 kills and a pair of blocks
• Paige Reagor made it three-straight matches with 10-plus kills to start the season while hitting .471 and blocking 5 Highlander attempts
• Peyton Thompson had a team-high 13 digs in the sweep while adding eight kills
• Emma Minnick had three huge service aces to go along with 30 assists
• CSU's defense continues to smother the opposition as they held the Highlanders to just .053 on the night and below .100 in all three sets

Up Next
Charleston Southern and Radford conclude their two-game set 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon from the Dedmon Center. The finale can be seen on ESPN+.