HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Lady Railsplitters (5-1, 2-0 SAC) will put their five-game winning streak on the line and look to retain their unbeaten South Atlantic Conference status this weekend, when they travel to the Palmetto State to face Newberry (3-6, 0-1 SAC) and Anderson (5-4, 2-0 SAC).
 
Schedule/Game Day Links
 
Friday, September 16 at Newberry (7pm) Live Stats / Video
Saturday, September 17 at Anderson (2pm) Live Stats
 
Notes on the Lady Railsplitters:
 
-Lincoln Memorial won its fifth straight game and improved to 2-0 in SAC play on Tuesday night with a five-set win (25-14, 19-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-11) at Carson-Newman. The Lady Railsplitters won the opening set, but had to rally from a two-sets-to-one deficit after the Eagles took sets two and three. Lincoln Memorial saved its best for last, using a late 7-0 run and hitting .375 in the decisive fifth frame to clinch the victory. It marks LMU's first five-game winning streak since September 2014.
-Offensive efficiency has been the key to the Lady Railsplitters' early-season success, as Lincoln Memorial has hit over .200 in all five matches during this five-game winning streak. The Lady Railsplitters haven't hit above .200 in five straight matches since the end of the 2014 season. Currently, Lincoln Memorial is ranked second in the SAC in hitting percentage with a .224 cumulative clip.
-Junior outside hitter Kiera Holland (Columbia, S.C.) is coming off of back-to-back 20-kill performances, as she had a season-high 21 against Tusculum and followed that up with 20 in the win at Carson-Newman. In SAC play, Holland is averaging 4.10 kills per set and hitting .287 while also chipping in 2.50 digs per frame.
-One area the Lady Railsplitters could benefit from cleaning up is serve receive, as that aspect has disappeared at times and completely disrupted Lincoln Memorial's offensive flow and rhythm. The Lady Railsplitters have just 23 reception errors this season, but have had at least four in each of the last five matches.
-The Lady Railsplitters are one of four teams that are currently undefeated in SAC play along with Queens, Anderson and Wingate. Lincoln Memorial has the second-longest active winning streak in the league behind Wingate, who has opened the season with nine straight wins.
 
Notes on Newberry:
 
-The Wolves opened South Atlantic Conference play on Tuesday night by suffering a 3-1 home loss to Anderson, sending Newberry to 1-5 in its last six appearances. The Wolves hit .127 as a team and committed 31 attack errors in that four-set loss. In addition to that, Newberry made 10 service errors and six reception errors to throw fuel on the fire.
-In general, errors have been part of the problem for the Wolves this season, as they have accounted for the fourth-most attack miscues in the conference with 174, the second-most service errors with 77 and the most reception errors with 64. As a team, Newberry is hitting .160, which is the fourth-lowest mark in the SAC.
-The Wolves are led by senior outside hitter Logan Hayward and freshman outside Toni-Anne Whitlow. Heyward is contributing a team-high 3.24 kills per set to go along with 3.64 digs per frame, while Whitlow is averaging 2.32 kills per frame on a .257 attack percentage. Senior middle blocker Madison Darby-McClure (1.85 kills/set) and freshman right side Andie Meredith (1.79 kills/set) are also a factor for the Wolves. Maggie Marsh (7.18 assists/set) and Natalie Willis (5.79 assists/set) comprise Newberry's setting duo, while Kensley Jordan leads the team with 3.94 digs per set.
-Opponents have had a field day against the Wolves offensively, hitting .181 while averaging 11.03 kills per set. That is mostly a product of a porous block, as Newberry is 10th in the SAC in blocks per set with 1.24. The Wolves have been able to make up for that a bit with a scrappy back line that ranks third in the league with 17.58 digs per set.
-Newberry is looking to avoid a repeat of last season, when it went 12-16 overall and 8-14 in SAC play to finish tied for ninth place in the league standings.
 
Notes on Anderson:
 
-The Trojans snapped a three-match losing streak and moved to 2-0 in SAC play by grinding out a four-set win (23-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-20) at Newberry on Tuesday night. Marissa Mitter carried Anderson to victory with a 20-kill, 16-dig performance. The Trojans, who host Carson-Newman on Friday night, also beat Coker in SAC action back on September 8.
-Through nine matches, the Trojans have been one of the better offensive teams in the league, ranking among the top five in kills per set (12.5), hitting percentage (.207), assists per set (11.68) and service aces (58). Added to that, Anderson is among the league leaders in blocks per set with 2.29.
-Mitter and Serena Jackson are the undisputed leaders of the Anderson attack. Mitter is averaging 3.71 kills per set on a .226 attack percentage to go along with 2.65 digs per set. Jackson is producing 2.40 kills per set and hitting a ridiculous .342. Middle blocker Rachel Burts has done a little bit of it all for the Trojans with 1.84 kills per set on a .304  while amassing 1.23 blocks per set, the fifth-highest mark in the league. Freshman setter Emily Conlin has been a standout so far as well with 10.15 assists and 2.18 digs per set. Emily Conard leads the team with 4.41 scoops per frame.
-Despite their offensive efficiency, the Trojans have been mistake-prone across the board. They lead the league in blocks errors (27) and ball-handling errors (20) while ranking second in receptions errors (55) and fourth in service errors (60).
-The Trojans are entering their second season under the direction of head coach Gene Krieger. In his first season, Krieger led Anderson to an 11-18 overall mark and a 9-13 record in SAC play. The Trojans lost to Carson-Newman in a five-set thriller in the quarterfinals of the 2015 SAC Championship.
 
Series History:
 
-The Lady Railsplitters are 16-7 all-time against Newberry, but the two teams have split in each of the past four seasons. Lincoln Memorial is 7-3 all-time at Newberry, but was swept in last season's meeting at Eleazer Arena. Newberry hit .281 as a team in that contest. Danielle Ged (Smyrna, Tenn.) and Liz Brock (Lima, Ohio) led the team with nine kills.
-Lincoln Memorial is 13-5 all-time against Anderson and 4-3 on the road in the series. The Lady Railsplitters swept the Trojans last season, winning in three sets at Mary Mars and pulling out a five-set victory at Anderson. In that match at Anderson, Holland led that way with 18 kills, as the Lady Railsplitters overcame 25 attack errors to prevail.