Bethune-Cookman rallied from a two-set deficit Saturday, Aug. 29, to defeat Radford 3-2 (13-25, 18-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-9) at Williams Arena at Minges in Greenville, N.C. Moriah Johnson led Bethune-Cookman with 19 kills as the team improved to 1-2. Bethune-Cookman finished 1-2 at the Pirate Invitational, while Radford fell to 1-1.
Radford controlled the opening two sets, winning the first 25-13 and the second 25-18. Bethune-Cookman began its comeback in the third set after Radford opened with a 3-1 advantage. The Wildcats answered with a 4-0 run, moved ahead 8-3 and held on for a 25-21 victory after Radford pulled within 24-21.
Bethune-Cookman Forces a Decisive Set
Bethune-Cookman carried that momentum into the fourth set, taking a 10-7 lead before Radford moved ahead 11-10. Radford led 18-16 late, but Bethune-Cookman rallied to tie the set at 18-18 and later erased a 23-20 deficit. After the teams reached 24-24, Johnson delivered back-to-back kills for a 26-24 Bethune-Cookman win.
Bethune-Cookman opened the deciding set with a 3-0 run highlighted by a Kylynn White ace and a block from Alaya Rhodes and Kaleigh Williams. After Radford pulled within 7-6, Bethune-Cookman scored six of the next seven points to build a 13-7 lead. Radford fought off two match points, but Williams closed the match with a kill for the 15-9 victory.
Johnson Leads Bethune-Cookman Offensively
Johnson finished with 19 kills, nine digs and two service aces, including eight kills in the fourth set. Rhodes added 17 kills and 16 digs for a double-double, while White contributed five kills, 20 assists and 14 digs. Nola Hemphill recorded 24 assists and 13 digs, and Taylor Ellis led Bethune-Cookman with 17 digs.
Williams posted six kills, four blocks and eight points. Sienna Lawrence and Sydnee Rodriguez each recorded four kills. Bethune-Cookman finished with 59 kills, 83 digs, six service aces and seven team blocks.
Bethune-Cookman hit .171 in the third set, .240 in the fourth and .350 in the fifth. The team recorded 10 kills against three errors in the fifth set. The fourth-set victory featured five ties.
Upcoming Schedule
Bethune-Cookman is scheduled to play Stetson on Sept. 4, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Moore Gymnasium. The team is scheduled to play at Stetson on Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. Bethune-Cookman is then scheduled to play at Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. and at The Citadel on Sept. 11 at 4 p.m.
Bethune-Cookman is scheduled to play at Charleston Southern on Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. The team is scheduled to play at South Carolina State on Sept. 18 and 19, with both matches set for 6 p.m. Bethune-Cookman is scheduled to play Alabama A&M on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. and Alabama State on Sept. 27 at noon.
Source: Original report