GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Lady Railsplitters (2-4) split a pair of regional matches on the opening day of the Pioneer Volleyball Classic, suffering a straight-set loss to the surging Lander Bearcats (6-0) and rebounding with a 3-1 win over the Belmont Abbey Crusaders (1-6) on Friday in Greeneville, Tenn. Lincoln Memorial fell to the Bearcats by set scores of 22-25, 23-25 and 19-25 before knocking off the Crusaders, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20 and 25-21. The Pioneer Volleyball Classic is a two-day event being hosted by the Tusculum Pioneers.
 
The Lady Railsplitters were overcome by an efficient Lander attack in Friday's opener, as the Bearcats hit .248 as a unit with 45 kills and only 12 errors. Lincoln Memorial produced nearly as many kills with 41, but the team lacked the same efficiency, hitting .141 with 22 errors. At the conclusion of Friday's action, the Bearcats have yet to lose even a set in 2014, matching the program's best ever start to the season.
 
Sophomore Brooke Fleeman (Nashville, Tenn.) and freshman Kiera Holland (Columbia, S.C.) were the only two Lady Railsplitters with double-digit kills as that duo combined for 22 put aways. Fleeman accounted for 11, while Holland posted 10 to go along with eight digs. Junior Jazzy Oates (Franklin, Tenn.) contributed six kills, six digs and three block assists. Sophomore setter Abby Cash (New Carlisle, Ohio) posted a double-double with 31 assists and 15 digs, while Casey Mense (Littleton, Colo.) led the team with 16 scoops. Sophomore Bristol Snider (Chattanooga, Tenn.) was also effectively defensively with 11 digs.
 
Tarryn Angermeier (15 kills, .382), Sydney Tracy (10 kills), Jessica Register (39 assists, nine digs) and Julia Ferrira-Alves (15 digs) led the Lander Bearcats, who defeated the Lady Railsplitters for the second-consecutive season.
 
Lincoln Memorial continued to struggle with efficiency on the attack in Friday evening's match-up with the Belmont Abbey Crusaders, hitting .112 with 51 kills and 33 errors. The Lady Railsplitters forced the Crusaders into that same exact hitting percentage, but only with fewer kills. Belmont Abbey notched a .112 attack percentage with 46 kills and 27 miscues.
 
Oates and Fleeman paced the Lady Railsplitters with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Oates hit a team-leading .407 in route to her season-high effort, while Fleeman finished with a .333 attacking clip. Senior Allison Beavers (Tomball, Texas) continued her steady play with nine kills, while MaRanda Boddie (Springfield, Ohio) finished with seven kills and a team-high four block assists. Mense chipped in with 19 digs and Kendra Gephart (Morrow, Ohio) added to that effort with 15 digs and five kills. Cash tallied her second double-double of the day with 39 assists and 12 digs.
 
The Crusaders were carried by Hannah Schellenberg (19 kills, 15 digs), Dani Fortunato (eight kills), Gabby Martinez (18 assists, 10 digs), Deidre Rodriguez (17 assists, seven digs) and Julie Newell (18 digs).
 
The Lady Railsplitters improved to 2-0 in the all-time series against the Crusaders, as the two teams last met on September 7, 2007, when Lincoln Memorial collected a 3-0 win in Banner Elk, N.C.
 
LMU returns to Greeneville, Tenn. to wrap up the Pioneer Volleyball Classic on Saturday against the Flagler Saints (11 a.m.) and the King Tornado (4 p.m.).