CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens Royals (19-5, 16-3 SAC) racked up a season-high 67 kills to knock off the Lady Railsplitters (22-6, 16-4 SAC) in four sets in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action on Saturday afternoon at Curry Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Lincoln Memorial, who lost consecutive matches for the first team all season after dropping a 3-0 decision at Catawba on Friday night, fell by scores of 25-21, 25-23, 24-26 and 25-20.
 
The Lady Railsplitters had a strong offensive outing, producing 58 kills on a .272 clip. However, mirroring the loss at Catawba, the Royals were just a little bit better, as Queens pounded out 67 kills on a .272 mark. Coincidentally, Queens was the last LMU opponent to notch that many kills against LMU in a four-set match, as the Royals churned out 68 kills against the Lady Railsplitters on October 4, 2013.
 
Junior Kiera Holland (Columbia, S.C.) led the Lady Railsplitters with 20 kills on 36 attempts for a .472 attack percentage, collecting at least 20 kills for the third time this season. She also added eight digs. Samantha Cash (New Carlisle, Ohio) tallied 12 kills on 32 attempt to go along with 11 assists and eight digs. Jamie Jehne (Hollywood, Fla.) had eight kills on a .471 attack percentage, while four other LMU players finished with four kills apiece. Abby Cash (New Carlisle, Ohio) had 38 assists and 19 digs, while Erica Whiteaker (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) amassed a season-high 27 digs to lead all players in that department.
 
Meredith Jones, Rebecca Cochran and Jessica Raines combined for 53 of Queens' 67 kills. Jones powered that trio with 23 kills on a gaudy .340 attack percentage while also adding a team-high 14 digs. Cochran tallied 16 kills on a .302 clip with eight digs and three aces. Raines, meanwhile, contributed 14 kills. Taylor Henry also got in on the act with nine kills. Sydney Kunz led all players with 53 assists to go along with 12 digs.
 
A kill by Raines put the Royals ahead 9-4 early in the first set. After a kill by Jehne on the following possession, Queens scored four unanswered points to pull ahead 12-5 and force Lincoln Memorial to burn a timeout. The Lady Railsplitters steadily worked their way back into the set and cut the Royals' lead to 18-14 on a Queens attack error, but the Royals scored three of the next four points to keep Lincoln Memorial at bay. The Lady Railsplitters used three straight kills by Holland to close the gap late, but a kill from Jones clinched the 25-21 win for the Royals.
 
It was all Queens again early in the second set, as the Royals established a 12-7 lead on a kill by Kunz and an LMU attack error. The Lady Railsplitters clawed their way back from that deficit and eventually drew the set even at 16-16 on a kill from Lindsey Nartker (New Carlisle, Ohio). However, the Royals won the next four points and nabbed a 20-16 lead on a kill by Alex Thompson. The Lady Railsplitters fought their way back again and cut the deficit to one point on four different occasions, but the Royals never relinquished the lead and a kill from Raines tidied up Queens' 25-23 win.
 
The Lady Railsplitters won seven of the first eight points in the third set and continued to lead 11-7 following a Queens attack error. However, the Royals responded with an 8-1 run, taking a 15-12 lead on back-to-back kills by Cochran. Lincoln Memorial stayed within striking distance until the Royals used a late 3-0 spurt to take a 22-17 lead on a kill by Raines. Queens eventually took a 24-18 lead, but the Lady Railsplitters avoided the straight-sets sweep by closing the set on an 8-0 run. Liz Brock (Lima, Ohio) and Holland clinched the 26-24 win with kills.
 
Lincoln Memorial led 10-9 in the fourth set following a kill by Brock, but the Royals took command of the frame with a 7-0 run, which put Queens ahead 16-10. Jones had three kills over that spurt. The Lady Railsplitters weren't down and out, though, as they worked their way all the way back and tied the set at 19-19 on a Nartker ace. However, Queens ended the set and subsequently the match on a 6-1 run, capping the 25-20 victory with three straight kills by Jones.
 
The South Atlantic Conference standings were shaken up by Saturday's matches, as Lincoln Memorial and Wingate both lost, thereby moving Queens into sole possession of first place in the league standings. The Lady Railsplitters and Bulldogs are tied for second place with two matches left in the regular-season schedule.
 
Lincoln Memorial closes out the regular season next weekend, welcoming Lenoir-Rhyne and Brevard to Mary Mars Gymnasium. The Lady Railsplitters welcome the Bears to town and celebrate Senior Day on Friday, November 11. That match gets underway at 7 p.m.