SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- Fresh off the first win in program history, the Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball team travels to Springfield, Ohio this weekend for three matches in the 2017 Jim Coleman Invitational. The Railsplitters (1-2) will take on the host Wittenberg Tigers at 8 p.m. on Friday before playing Cincinnati Christian University at 3:30 and Mount St. Joseph at 7:30 on Saturday.
 
Schedule/Gameday Links
Friday, January 20 at Wittenberg (8pm) - Live Stats/Video
Saturday, January 21 vs. Cincinnati Christian (3:30pm) - Live Stats
Saturday, January 21 vs. Mount St. Joseph (7:30pm) - Live Stats
 
Notes on the Railsplitters:
-Lincoln Memorial made the program's Mary Mars Gymnasium debut memorable by notching the first win in program history with a 3-2 victory over Alderson Broaddus last Saturday. The Railsplitters were beaten 25-23 in the opening set, but rebounded by taking set two 25-18, which was the first set win for the first-year program. After winning the third set and dropping the fourth, the Railsplitters pulled off a 16-14 win in set five to clinch the match.
 
-A balanced effort led the Railsplitters past the Battlers. Evan Cory (Metairie, La.), who was tabbed as the Holiday Tire Railsplitter of the Week on Tuesday, put up a team-leading 11 kills, while Pedro Carvalho (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Joshua Riblett (Torrence, Calif.) had 10 apiece. Marcus Molina (Newport Beach, Calif.) chipped in nine kills.
 
-The night before that monumental win over Alderson Broaddus, the Railsplitters were handed a 3-0 loss by Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, N.C. Errors derailed Lincoln Memorial in that contest, as the Railsplitters had 21 hitting errors and finished with a .118 attack percentage, while the Bobcats hit .316 as a team in the 25-18, 25-22, 25-17 win.
 
-The Railsplitters produced far and away their best hitting percentage of the season against Alderson Broaddus, racking up 51 kills on a .242 clip. Lincoln Memorial hit .160 in the season-opener at King and .118 at Lees-McRae.
 
-Cory, Carvalho and Riblett are leading the Railsplitters offensively. Cory has a team-high 31 kills and 2.82 per set, while Carvalho is hitting .341 this season with 1.91 kills per frame. Riblett has produced 1.82 kills per set with 20 total putdowns. Setter Ryan Iskandar (Tempe, Ariz.) has also been effective as an attacker, collecting 15 kills on 29 attempts for a remarkable .414 clip.
 
Scouting Wittenberg:
Division III Wittenberg opens its 2017 season just hours before hosting the Railsplitters when they take on Hilbert at 6 p.m. on Friday night. The Tigers are entering their second-ever season after making their debut in 2016, when Wittenberg compiled a 14-11 overall record.
 
The Tigers return their top-four offensive threats from last season in Dylan Kolovitz, Justin Luby, Joel Sotos and Ashton Sellers. Kolovitz led the team in kills (198) and kills per set (2.87) a season ago, while Luby produced 181 kills and 2.66 per set. Sotos averaged 1.75 kills per frame, while Sellers accounted for 107 kills on a .350 attack percentage.
 
The Tigers also return their starting setter, Ross Russell, who had 735 assists and 8.96 per set last season. Russell also led Wittenberg in digs last season with 157.
 
Wittenberg was picked to finish seventh out of 14 teams in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League's preseason poll.
 
Scouting Cincinnati Christian:
The Eagles opened the 2017 campaign with a 3-0 romp over Campbellsville University on Tuesday. Cincinnati Christian – a member of the NAIA – will play two matches on Friday in Springfield, Ohio, facing off against Southern Virginia and Hilbert before playing the Railsplitters on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Eagles, who went 12-11 last season, are led by 6-9 outside hitter and reigning All-Conference first team selection Logan Webber. In addition to that, Cincinnati Christian returns three All-Conference second team picks in Lance Wiles, Michael Hiroskey and Shaun Kanoho.
 
Wiles paced the Eagles in that win over Campbellsville with nine kills on just 15 attempts, while Webber had seven. Phillip Andrews and Jeremiah Gonidakis had five kills apiece. Hiroskey led the way with 24 assists, while Kanoho had 10 digs.
 
Cincinnati Christian is led by second-year head coach Mick Oppy, who helped the Eagles make a three-win improvement from the 2015 to 2016 season.
 
Scouting Mount St. Joseph:
Like Wittenberg, Mount St. Joseph opens its season this weekend in Springfield, playing Penn State-Altoona before squaring off against the Railsplitters on Saturday evening. The Lions finished fourth in the MCVL last season with an 18-8 overall record and were predicted to finish fifth in the league's preseason coaches poll.
 
The Lions are led into the 2017 campaign by two-time Division III All-American Alex Vohland, who racked up 327 kills and 3.55 per set last season. Mount St. Joseph also returns opposite side hitter Kevin Siemer, who had 163 kills and 1.90 per set last season. Setter Nathan Herdeman is also back after posting 9.49 assists per frame in 2016.
 
Mount St. Joseph is guided by first-year head coach Cristina Webb, who spent the past seven seasons as the top assistant for the Lions' women's volleyball program. Webb is also a strength and condition coach at Mount St. Joseph.