HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters (11-2, 8-1 SAC) aim to continue the program's best South Atlantic Conference start this weekend when they hit the road to face Lenoir-Rhyne (5-11, 3-6 SAC) and Brevard (3-12, 3-6 SAC). Lincoln Memorial stops in Hickory to battle the Bears at 7 p.m. on Friday before heading over to Brevard for a 2 p.m. first serve on Saturday.
 
Schedule/Game Day Links
 
Friday, October 7 at Lenoir-Rhyne (7pm) Live Stats / Video
Saturday, October 8 at Brevard (2pm) Live Stats
 
Notes on the Lady Railsplitters:
Preview on the Papa John's Splitter Sound Bites podcast
 
-Lincoln Memorial took over sole possession of second place in the South Atlantic Conference standings with a straight-sets sweep of the Queens Royals last Saturday at Mary Mars Gymnasium. The Lady Railsplitters used a dominant block that accounted for 22 block assists to limit the Royals to a paltry .047 attack percentage. On the other side of the net, the Lady Railsplitters hit .216 and out-killed Queens 39-34.
 
-The Lady Railsplitters are off to the best start to SAC play since joining the league prior to the 2007 season. The 2011 team was responsible for the program's previous watermark as that squad won eight of its first 10 SAC contests en route to finishing 14-4 overall.
 
-After Saturday's dominant performance in front of the net, the Lady Railsplitters are ranked 14th in the nation in blocks per set with 2.38, which currently stands as the sixth-highest single-season mark in program history. Thanks to that effort, Lincoln Memorial is allowing opponents to hit just .146. In addition to that, the Lady Railsplitters are ranked 41st in the nation and second in the SAC in hitting percentage with a .227 mark. Nationally-ranked Wingate is the only other team in the league hitting above .200 this season.
 
-Junior outside hitter Kiera Holland (Columbia, S.C.), who paced the Lady Railsplitters against Queens with 12 kills, is having far and away the most productive season of her tenure in the Blue and Gray. Holland is accounting for career-highs in kills per set (3.44), attack percentage (.247) and digs per set (2.80). The Columbia, S.C. native is ranked fourth in the SAC in kills per frame and 22nd in digs per set.
 
-Senior outside Liz Brock (Lima, Ohio) has had double-digit kills in three of her last five matches, including a career-high 19 kills against Catawba last Friday. Brock nearly finished with double-digits against Queens with nine kills on 29 attempts. She is accounting for 2.48 kills per set on a .205 attack percentage while also chipping in 3.00 digs per frame.
 
Notes on Lenoir-Rhyne:
 
-After going 25-8 and winning the SAC tournament title last season, the Bears were voted second in the league's preseason coaches poll, but Lenoir-Rhyne has failed to live up to that hype thus far. The Bears enter Friday's match having lost four of their last five matches while sporting a 5-11 overall record and a 3-6 mark in SAC play.
 
-The Bears snapped a four-game losing skid and picked up a big win on Tuesday night, defeating the Tusculum Pioneers in four sets. Lenoir-Rhyne hit .261 in the match, including a sizzling .455 in the decisive fourth set, while forcing the Pioneers into 31 attack errors. Katrina Samuels led L-R with a match-high 19 kills, while Emily Steele had 11.
 
-Offensive efficiency has been at the heart of the Bears' struggles this season. Entering the weekend, Lenoir-Rhyne is ranked 10th in the league in kills per set with 10.72 and attack percentage with a .142 clip. The Bears have the potential to accommodate with a front line that leads the SAC in blocks per set with 2.47 and is holding opponents to a .160 attack percentage.
 
-The Bears are led offensively by the trio of Brooke Redmond, Katrina Samuels and Emily Steele. Redmond is putting down 3.53 kills per set while chipping in 2.58 digs per frame. Samuels has produced 2.25 kills per set on a .214 attack percentage, while Steele is contributing 2.11 kills and 0.98 blocks per set. Lenoir-Rhyne has been hampered offensively by the absence of senior right side Brandi Thomas (2.44 kills/set, 2.63 digs/set), who has missed the team's last eight matches. Four different players are averaging more than three assists per set for the Bears, led by Jessica Funk's 7.54. Ashley Markland leads the team with 3.67 digs per.
 
-The Bears are just 1-4 at home this season. That includes five-set losses to Catawba, Brevard and Anderson as well as a four-set defeat against Newberry. Lenoir-Rhyne has been better statistically speaking at home, averaging 11.09 kills per set on a .180 attack percentage as compared to 10.20 kills per set on a .133 clip on the road.
 
Notes on Brevard:
 
-The Tornados enter the weekend looking to halt an extremely lopsided six-game losing streak, as Brevard hasn't tasted victory since a 3-2 win at Mars Hill on September 17. Since then, the Tornados have combined to win just two sets in losses to Newberry, Anderson, North Greenville, Coker, Wingate and defending National Champions Wheeling Jesuit.
 
-Brevard is ranked in the bottom half of the league in nearly every significant statistical category, including kills per set (10.76), hitting percentage (.134), assists per set (9.83), digs per set (14.5), blocks per set (1.17) and service aces (78). It's been a free-for-all for opposing offenses, as Brevard is allowing opponents to rack up 11.78 kills per set and hit .216 this season.
 
-Freshman Callie Chappell, junior Rachel Ruble, senior Savannah Cox and junior Hannah Elmore lead the way for the Tornados in the attack. Chappell is producing a team-leading 3.16 kills per set to go along with 2.14 digs per frame, while Ruble is racking up 2.22 kills per set. Cox is chipping in 2.09 kills per frame with a team-best .241 attack percentage. Elmore is adding 2.02 kills per set. Junior Erin Barr is producing 8.33 assists and 2.24 digs per set, while Aleksandra Vrvilo is leading the way with 5.07 digs per frame, the fifth-best mark in the league.
 
-Despite their record, the Tornados are a team capable of pulling off an upset. Brevard knocked off both Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne in five sets in early September. They have also been much better at home, putting up 11.17 kills per set with a .158 attack percentage. On the road, those numbers plummet to 10.65 and .126.
 
-The Tornados host Carson-Newman on Friday night before welcoming the Lady Railsplitters to town. Brevard and Carson-Newman have a combined 14-match losing streak.
 
Series History:
 
-Lenoir-Rhyne has owned the Lady Railsplitters of late, winning six straight since the start of the 2013 campaign. The Bears swept the regular-season series last season, winning 3-1 in Harrogate and 3-2 in Hickory. The Lady Railsplitters are 3-8 all-time in Hickory, but their last win in the series came there on November 2, 2012.
 
-In last season's trip to Hickory, the Lady Railsplitters were leading two sets to one before the Bears fought back to take it in five sets. Brooke Fleeman (Nashville, Tenn.) led the Lady Railsplitters with 13 kills, while Brooke Redmond had 15 for the Bears.
 
-In contrast, the Lady Railsplitters are a perfect 21-0 all-time against Brevard, and 10 of those 21 victories have come in straight sets. However, two of the last five meetings have gone to five, including last season's home match against the Tornados.
 
-Lincoln Memorial defeated Brevard 3-1 in last season's road trip. The Lady Railsplitters racked up 56 kills on a .201 attack percentage while holding the Tornados to a .124 clip. Fleeman paced LMU with 13 kills.