HARROGATE, Tenn. -- With only five matches remaining in the regular season schedule, the Lady Railsplitters (15-10, 11-6 SAC) pay a visit to seventh-ranked Wingate (24-1, 17-0 SAC) and Coker (5-20, 1-16 SAC) for their final South Atlantic Conference weekend road trip of the 2014 campaign. Lincoln Memorial squares off against the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. Friday in Wingate, N.C. before trekking to Hartsville, S.C. Saturday for a noon match-up with the Cobras.
 
The Lady Railsplitters fell to 0-16 against Wingate in a four-set loss at Mary Mars Gym on October 3, but the Bulldogs did not earn their 16th consecutive win over Lincoln Memorial without a little bit of drama. After rolling the Bulldogs 25-13 in the opening set, the Lady Railsplitters assumed a 24-23 edge in set two before ultimately falling 27-25 and dropping the next two frames. The Lady Railsplitters only hit .113 in the contest, but they limited Wingate to a season-low .150 attacking clip. Lincoln Memorial is the lone team to hold the normally high-powered Bulldog attack below the .200 hitting threshold this season.
 
Winners of eight consecutive South Atlantic Conference regular season titles, Wingate is well on its way to extending that number to nine. The Bulldogs are a perfect 17-0 in league play as they are currently riding a streak of 54 consecutive SAC wins. Wingate was ranked seventh in the most recent AVCA poll while drawing the No.2 seed in the initial NCAA Division II Southeast Region rankings. The Bulldogs have won 18 straight since suffering a 3-2 loss to Armstrong Atlantic (No.1 in the Southeast Region poll) on September 13, earning 14 of those decisions via straight sets.
 
The Bulldogs attack at a league-best .284 clip, accumulating an average of 14.19 kills per set. Junior outside hitter Shelly Stumpff leads the 'Dogs with 3.20 kills per set and 237 total kills, while senior middle blocker Lexi Potter is hitting .391 with 2.58 kills per frame. Susie Murach has accounted for 2.57 kills per set and Abby Saehler has sparked Wingate with 2.47 kills per set on a .386 attacking clip. Allison Cooke paces the Bulldogs with 10.11 assists per set, while Kori Adams is pitching in a team-leading 3.28 digs per stanza. Of the league's top 10 players in terms of attacking efficiency, four reside in the Wingate rotation (Potter, Saehler, Katie Bludau and Haley Henderson).
 
While Wingate has established itself unequivocally as the class of the league, Coker has struggled to adjust to the rigors of the SAC since jumping ship from Conference Carolinas prior to the 2013 campaign. The Cobras had lost 35 consecutive league matches to begin their SAC tenure until finally checking into the win column with a straight-set triumph over Brevard on October 18. Coker heads into the weekend following a nonconference win over Pfeiffer on Wednesday.
 
The Lady Railsplitters improved to 3-0 all-time against Coker in a 3-1 win at Mary Mars on October 4. Lincoln Memorial finished with a .297 attacking clip, their second-highest mark of the season. The Cobras terminated at a .195 rate, their second-most efficient clip in South Atlantic Conference action this season.
 
Standing in stark contrast to Wingate, the Cobras have produced 10.61 kills per set on a cumulative .137 attack percentage, ranking 11th and 10th in the SAC in those categories. Coker is led by the freshmen duo of Megan Hardy and Madison Bingle. Hardy has accounted for 2.03 kills per set with 148 total, while Bingle has pitched in 1.87 kills each frame with 146 total. Samantha Celek paces the Cobras with 233 digs and 3.19 per set, while Christen Bragg boasts 7.66 assists per set.
 
The Lady Railsplitters have won five of their last six matches heading into the upcoming weekend, positioning themselves in a two-way tie for fifth in the league standings. Since head coach Jenny Michael took over the program prior to the 2011 campaign, the Lady Railsplitters have never finished lower than a tie for third in the final SAC standings.
 
This past Saturday, Lincoln Memorial dispatched of the Brevard Tornados in four sets at Mary Mars Gym to bounce  back from a tough five-set loss to Lenoir-Rhyne the night before. The Lady Railsplitters hit .226 in that contest while limiting Brevard to a .104 clip with 25 errors.
 
Freshman outside hitter Kiera Holland (Columbia, S.C.) and sophomore right side Brooke Fleeman (Nashville, Tenn.) continue to lead the Lady Railsplitters offensively as that pair has accounted for 3.00 and 2.47 kills per set, respectively. But, the increased production of senior Allison Beavers (Tomball, Texas) has proved pivotal to the Lady Railsplitters in recent weeks. Beavers has accounted for at least nine kills in three of her last four appearances including a career-high 17 kills in that heartbreaking five-set loss to Lenoir-Rhyne last Friday. Sophomore setter Abby Cash (New Carlisle, Ohio) has recorded 15 double-doubles this season as she quietly approaches the 1,000 assist mark. Cash's 896 total assists rank second in the South Atlantic Conference.
 
The Lady Railsplitters open the weekend in Wingate, N.C. against the Wingate Bulldogs on Friday at 7 p.m. before finishing things off at noon Saturday versus the Cobras. Live stats and video will be available for both of those matches.

Friday vs. No.7 Wingate (7pm)
Live Stats
Video
Saturday vs. Coker (Noon)
Live Stats
Video