SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Coming off its first ever win, the Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball program was no match for Wittenberg Friday night, as the Tigers (2-0) coasted to their second straight-set sweep of the day over the Railsplitters (1-3) in Jim Coleman Invitational play. Wittenberg was especially stout at serving with 11 service aces compared to one for the Railsplitters.
Lincoln Memorial hit just .035 as a team and managed a kill percentage above zero in just one of the three sets. Wittenberg held a 35-21 kill advantage for the match, although errors were tied at 18 apiece.
Evan Cory (Metairie, La.) led the way offensively with nine kills and was the only Railsplitter with a kill percentage above .100 (.250). He also set a career high with four total blocks.
Pedro Carvalho (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and
Marcus Molina (Newport Beach, Calif.) each chipped in three kills, while Ryan Iskander (Tempe, Ariz.) accounted for 16 of the team's 18 assists. Iskandar and
Nico Triana (Miami, Fla.) joined Cory as the only Railsplitters with a kill percentage above .000.
Wittenberg's Dylan Kolovitz led Wittenberg with seven kills and 26 attempts, although he only hit -.038 due to committing eight errors. Joseph Belair added six kills and four service aces while also not committing an error. Ashton Sellers also pitched in six kills, while Jackson Tyler added five for the balanced Tiger attack. Ross Russell accounted for 31 of Wittenberg's 32 assists, while Kolovitz and Nathan Matthews led all players with eight digs apiece.
Wittenberg never trailed in the first set on its way to a 25-16 win. The Tigers built a 16-6 lead courtesy of six Railsplitter errors, but Lincoln Memorial rallied to cut the deficit to 20-15. Wittenberg responded by taking five of the next six rallies to clinch the set. He Tigers hit .250 compared to .000 for the Railsplitters.
The teams opened the second set to a 9-9 stalemate before three straight Wittenberg attack errors gave the Railsplitters a 12-9 advantage, but that disappeared quickly as the Tigers regained the lead with an 8-3 run. Lincoln Memorial took the following two rallies to tie the score again at 17, but Wittenberg closed the set on another 8-3 run to win 25-20 and take a two-set lead.
Wittenberg again never trailed in the third set as it jumped ahead 7-2. Lincoln Memorial cut the deficit to 10-8, but the Tigers responded by taking the next six rallies and 11 of the next 13 to build a commanding 21-10 lead. Kolovitz finished of the 25-16 set win with a kill to clinch the match. The Railsplitters hit -.030 in the set for their worst mark of the season.
Lincoln Memorial continues its play in the Jim Coleman Invitational Saturday, January 21 with its only scheduled doubleheader for 2017. The Railsplitters will match up against Cincinnati Christian at 3:30 p.m. and Mount St. Joseph four hours later at 7:30.
