HARROGATE, Tenn. -- A rivalry that spans four decades will be renewed on Tuesday as the Lady Railsplitters (7-4, 3-0 SAC) welcome the Tusculum Pioneers (3-8, 2-1 SAC) to Mary Mars Gymnasium for a South Atlantic Conference clash.

Lincoln Memorial is riding the wave of a six-match winning streak, the longest current flurry in the South Atlantic Conference and the longest for the program since 2012. The Lady Railsplitters defeated Mars Hill, Catawba and Queens this past week to jump out to 3-0 in the SAC standings. LMU, Wingate and Carson-Newman are the only remaining unbeaten teams in SAC play.

The Lady Railsplitters' recent success is a credit to the production of freshman outside hitter Kiera Holland (Columbia, S.C.) and sophomore right side Brooke Fleeman (Nashville, Tenn.), a duo that has led the team in kills in each of the past three matches. Holland combined for 46 kills and 34 digs over her last three outings, while Fleeman has contributed 38 over that same span. Holland leads the SAC in total kills with 128. Fleeman, who has attacked at a better than .300 clip in three of her last four matches, is seventh with 102.

A cumulatively increased efficiency has also been key to the Lady Railsplitters' resurgence. Lincoln Memorial did not hit above .170 in any of its first six matches but has accomplished that feat in four of its past five outings. Factoring in that shaky start, the Lady Railsplitters are seventh in the league with a .166 mark.

Tusculum carries a misleading 3-8 record into Tuesday's conference tilt as the young Pioneers have been challenged by one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Pioneers dropped four straight-set decisions to then No.2 Tampa, No.5 Central Missouri, No.13 Ferris State and No.24 Indianapolis during the season-opening weekend. Tusculum didn't break into the win column until September 13, a 3-0 win over Belmont Abbey, but they arrive in Harrogate after knocking off both Anderson and Newberry in SAC action this past weekend.

The Pioneers' attack is carried by senior Megan Hasse, who has accounted for 3.26 kills per set and 124 total kills, which ranks third and second in the SAC, respectively. Hasse has breached double-digit kills in seven-consecutive matches. Sophomore right side Rachel Garnett has contributed 2.14 kills per set and 77 total to back Hasse's Herculean effort this season. Junior Hannah Berling is averaging 6.88 assists per set, while sophomore Moriah Jones leads the Pioneers with 5.37 digs a frame.

Tusculum's 18-player roster is one of the youngest in the conference with nine freshmen and five sophomores. The Pioneers also had the monumental task of replacing two of the best players in school history in setter Ashley Sarmiento and libero Caitlyn Dean. Dean left Tusculum as the program's career leader in digs while Sarmiento is second in the school's record book in career assists.  

The storied history of the LMU-Tusculum series dates back to the 1989 season as the Pioneers hold a narrow 30-27 all-time edge. The series has picked up significant steam since 2007 as six of the 17 head-to-head match-ups over that span have needed five sets to decide the final outcome. The Lady Railsplitters have defeated the Pioneers in five of the last eight contests including both regular-season meetings in 2013.

First serve between the Lady Railsplitters and Pioneers is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mary Mars Gym. The LMU Sports Network will be providing a live broadcast of the match with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:45.

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