SALISBURY, N.C. -- The Lady Railsplitters (3-4, 1-3 SAC) suffered their third straight loss in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Catawba Indians (5-6, 2-2 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action on Saturday in Salisbury, N.C. Lincoln Memorial fell by scores of 23-25, 20-25, 25-23 and 22-25.
 
Jazzy Oates (Franklin, Tenn.) matched her season-high with 14 kills on a .195 attack percentage. Kiera Holland (Columbia, S.C.) collected 11 kills and 12 digs, while Liz Brock (Lima, Ohio) and Danielle Ged (Smyrna, Tenn.) had eight kills apiece. Erica Whiteaker (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) was one of five Lady Railsplitters with double-digit digs, leading the team in that category with 22. Cash Mense (Littleton, Colo.) finished with 15 digs.
 
In spite of the loss, Abby Cash (Carlisle, Ohio) turned in a magnificent performance for the Lady Railsplitters, accumulating 44 assists, 15 digs, three service aces, four block assists, one solo block and four kills on just nine attempts (.444).  
 
The Lady Railsplitters produced 55 kills and 29 attack errors for a .149 attack percentage. They added seven service aces, eight reception errors and 16 block assists. Catawba, meanwhile, amassed 57 kills and 21 errors for a .214 attack percentage. The Indians finished with eight aces and 18 block assists.
 
The Indians set the pace early in the back-and-forth opening frame, using six kills through the match's first 17 rallies to assume a 10-7 advantage. The Lady Railsplitters won back some momentum in the ensuing passage of play with a 5-1 run, capped by kills from Oates and Brock to even the set at 17-17. After trading points in the next two possessions, Catawba used a quick 5-2 spurt to take a 23-20 lead. Two Catawba attack errors and a Ged kill helped the Lady Railsplitters knot the set at 23-23, but the Indians won the next two points with a kill and an LMU attack error to clinch a 25-23 victory.
 
Catawba led from start to finish in set two, taking the first three points before extending the cushion to 13-8 later in the frame with a 5-0 run. A kill by Oates completed a 6-2 flurry for the Lady Railsplitters that trimmed the deficit to 15-14, but the Indians responded and made it an 18-14 game with a kill by Rachel Gallup. Lincoln Memorial never cut the lead to less than two points the rest of the way as an Audrey Hoffman kill ended it in Catawba's favor 25-20.
 
The third set featured 12 ties as the Lady Railsplitters and Indians went point for point throughout. LMU assumed the largest lead for either team in the set as a kill by Oates made it 21-17, but the Indians won six of the next seven rallies to take a 23-22 lead. The Lady Railsplitters answered right back and forced a fourth set by winning the next three rallies, a stretch capped by kills from Ged and Holland to win 25-23.
 
After falling behind out of the gate in the fourth set, the Lady Railsplitters utilized a 9-0 run, with most of the points coming during Whiteaker's lengthy service run, to take an 11-3 lead. The Indians knocked a tad bit off of the lead a few points later, but a kill by Holland and an ace by Cash gave the Lady Railsplitters an 18-10 advantage. From there, the momentum flipped violently as Catawba used seven kills, three aces and four LMU attack errors to fuel a 15-4 closing run to claim a 25-22 victory and clinch the match 3-1. Most of that closing run took place during Allison Benton's service turn as the Indians ripped off an 8-0 run to turn a 21-16 deficit into a 24-21 lead.
 
Alex Hopper led the Indians with a match-high 15 kills on a .345 attack percentage to go along with four block assists. Audrey Hoffman (12) and McKenzie Garrison (11) also finished with double-digit kills for Catawba. Kaytee Frabottoa posted a match-high 50 assists and 17 digs, while Evan Schultz led all players with 25 digs.
 
The loss snapped Lincoln Memorial's seven-match winning streak against Catawba, which dated back to the 2012 season. The Lady Railsplitters and Indians are now dead even at 11-11 in the all-time series.
 
The Lady Railsplitters next take on the Carson-Newman Eagles in Jefferson City, Tenn. on Tuesday. That match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at Holt Fieldhouse.