JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters split on the final day of the SAC/Peach Belt Conference Challenge, pulling out a five-set win over Georgia College before succumbing to USC Aiken in four sets on Saturday at Holt Fieldhouse in Jefferson City, Tenn.
Lincoln Memorial (16-3) overcame a two-sets-to-one deficit to defeat the Bobcats and extend its winning streak to eight games, but couldn't keep the momentum rolling against the Pacers, as the Lady Railsplitters hit a season-worst .108 in that contest to suffer their third loss of the season.
The Lady Railsplitters host five of their next six matches at Mary Mars Gymnasium, beginning with Carson-Newman on Tuesday, October 18. That contest gets underway at 7 p.m. Live stats and video, compliments of the LMU Sports Network, are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com.
Game One: Lincoln Memorial 3, Georgia College 2
Despite hitting just .147 and committing a season-high 30 attack errors, the Lady Railsplitters were able to pick up a 3-2 win (21-25, 25-22, 14-25, 25-23, 15-10) in their first five-set match since a win at Carson-Newman on September 13.
Kiera Holland (Columbia, S.C.) led all players with 17 kills to go along with five digs, while
Liz Brock (Lima, Ohio) chipped in 14 kills and 16 digs.
Samantha Cash (New Carlisle, Ohio) filled out the stat sheet with nine kills, seven digs, four blocks, four assists and two aces, while
Jamie Jehne (Hollywood, Fla.) and
Danielle Ged (Smyrna, Tenn.) produced five kills apiece.
Abby Cash (New Carlisle, Ohio) tallied 46 assists and 19 digs with four kills.
Erica Whiteaker (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) led all players with 24 digs.
Georgia College struggled on the offensive end as well, committing 32 attack errors to post a .144 hitting percentage. Three players finished in double figures for the Bobcats, led by Miller Howard's 16 kills and 23 digs. Taylor Svehla notched 15 kills, while Blake Willoughby picked up 11 kills on a .435 attack percentage. Kayla Brockway accounted for 48 assists and 11 digs.
Georgia College dominated the opening set, using four LMU attack errors to establish a commanding 12-4 lead. The Bobcats continued to hold an eight-point edge at 17-9 later in the set before the Lady Railsplitters pulled to within four at 19-15 on a Svehla attack error. Georgia College would never relinquish the lead, though, jumping ahead 24-17 on a kill from Howard. LMU won the next four points, but the Bobcats clinched the 25-21 win on a kill from Willoughby.
After hitting .025 in the first frame, the Lady Railsplitters turned it around in set two, amassing 19 kills on a .283 clip. Despite that, Lincoln Memorial found itself facing a 14-12 deficit midway through. However, the Lady Railsplitters churned out a 10-2 run over the next passage to assume a 22-16 lead. Holland accounted for six of the 10 points over that stretch via kills. Lincoln Memorial later drew the match even with a 25-22 win on a kill by Brock.
Lincoln Memorial was at its worst offensively in the third set with a mere seven kills and seven errors. The Lady Railsplitters were within striking distance at the midway point, cutting the deficit to 15-10 on a kill by Brock. However, the Bobcats ended the set on a 10-4 run, wrapping it up with a kill from Ebony Powers.
Staring up at that 2-1 deficit, the Lady Railsplitters opened up a 9-4 lead in the fourth set following a 6-0 flurry. The Bobcats responded, though, pulling ahead 15-13 on a kill from Howard and an LMU attack error. The lead would change hands several times over the next stretch, but the Lady Railsplitters wrestled away control with a 5-0 run, which made it 24-20. Sam Cash forced a fifth set with a kill, which finished off the 25-23 win.
In the decisive fifth frame, Georgia College held the early advantage with an 8-5 lead when the two teams changed sides. However, the Lady Railsplitters ripped off seven straight points on the serve of
Lindsey Nartker (New Carlisle, Ohio) to drive ahead 12-8. Back-to-back Bobcat attack errors capped the 15-10 win for the Lady Railsplitters.
Saturday was the first-ever meeting between Lincoln Memorial and Georgia College.
Game Two: USC Aiken 3, Lincoln Memorial 1
The Lady Railsplitters never settled into a groove offensively as the Pacers held Lincoln Memorial to its lowest hitting percentage of the season in a four-set victory (25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 25-17).
The Lady Railsplitters produced just 45 kills with 27 errors for a .108 attack percentage, their worst since a 3-1 loss at Lander on October 9, 2015. The Pacers had a lot to do with Lincoln Memorial's struggles, as the Pacers amassed 17 block assists and two solo blocks.
Holland was the only LMU player in double figures with 13 kills. Sam Cash chipped in eight kills and seven digs, while Brock had seven kills and eight digs. Nartker collected five kills on just nine attempts for a .556 clip.
Abby Cash put up 39 assists and 13 digs. Whiteaker led all players with 26 digs.
Four players hit double figures for the Pacers, who collected 57 kills on a .184 attack percentage. Taylor Stratton led all players with 17 kills to go along with 10 digs, while Amber Hendry notched 12 kills on a .400 hitting percentage. Christine Carroll and Julia Forster had 10 kills apiece. Emily Teelon led USC Aiken with 48 assists. Rebecca Martinez recorded a team-best 18 digs.
The Lady Railsplitters opened with a 5-1 lead and continued to hold a 16-14 lead in the first set. However, USC Aiken forced five different ties over the next passage of play before eventually assuming a 22-20 lead on a kill by Carroll. Lincoln Memorial drew it back even at 22-22 on a kill by Holland, but the Pacers ended the set by winning three straight points, clinching the 25-22 win on an LMU attack miscue.
The Pacers held a slight 8-7 edge in the second set before the Lady Railsplitters ripped off a 9-3 run to grab a 16-11 lead on a kill by Sam Cash. The momentum swung after that, though, as the Pacers won 10 of the next 11 rallies to build a 21-18 lead on a kill from Carroll. However, Lincoln Memorial would avoid going down two sets by ending the second frame on a 7-0 run, a stretch that was capped by a Nartker ace.
The third set was all knotted up at 12-12 following a Whiteaker service ace, but the Pacers won six straight points to race ahead 18-12. The Lady Railsplitters steadily worked their way back into the set from there, eventually taking a 22-21 lead on a USC Aiken attack miscue. However, the Pacers finished the frame on a 4-1 run and pulled out the 25-23 win on a kill by Alicia Hines.
The Lady Railsplitters won the first point of the fourth set, but that was as good as it would get for the Blue and Gray, as the Pacers won the next eight and ultimately raced out to a commanding 17-6 lead. Lincoln Memorial regained some momentum late, but could not overcome that 11-point deficit, as the Pacers finished off the four-set win with a 25-17 victory.
