SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Lincoln Memorial University's men's volleyball team followed up a straight-set defeat to Wittenberg on the first day of the Jim Coleman Invitational with two more losses Saturday. The Railsplitters (1-5) fell in four sets to Cincinnati Christian (4-0) in the first game of the doubleheader and were swept in straight sets by Mount St. Joseph (2-0) in the nightcap.

The Railsplitters next travel to Bluefield, Virginia on Tuesday, January 24 to Bluefield College Rams at 7 p.m.

Game One: Cincinnati Christian 3, Lincoln Memorial 1

Lincoln Memorial took the first set but couldn't break through again in dropping the next three to the Eagles in a hotly contested match. The Railsplitters committed a season-high 27 attack errors in the loss.

Evan Cory (Metairie, La.) led the Railsplitters in kills for the fifth consecutive match with 11. Pedro Carvalho (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Marcus Molina (Newport Beach, Calif.) were one behind at 10 kills apiece, while Carvalho's six total blocks were a career high. Molina's kill percentage of .421 led the Railsplitters by a wide margin. Ryan Iskandar (Tempe, Ariz.) also achieved a career high with 39 assists and chipped in eight more kills.

Cincinnati Christian's Logan Webber led all players with 17 kills and added three service aces. Lance Wiles, who pitched in 10 more kills, was the only other Eagle to tally more than six. Michael Hiroskey led the Eagles with 37 assists, while Shaun Kanoho led the team with ten digs.

NyJaee Washington (Las Vegas, Nev.) set the tone with consecutive kills in the opening set as the Railsplitters jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Cincinnati Christian won five of the next six volleys to cut the deficit to one, but Lincoln Memorial responded with another 5-0 run to take an 11-5 advantage. That lead grew to seven points before the Eagles made a late push to once again cut the Railsplitter lead to one at 23-22. Lincoln Memorial sealed the set victory with by taking the next two rallies to claim the program's first victory in a set away from Mary Mars Gymnasium. Despite the victory, Cincinnati Christian held a slight 11-10 advantage in kills and out-hit the Railsplitters .185 to .120.

Neither team could gain much separation in the second set as the frame featured 15 ties and six lead changes. The last tie occurred at 21-21, and Cincinnati Christian took the lead for good the ensuing rally. The Eagles won four of the final five rallies to win the set 25-22, which also marked the only time either team led by more than two points. Once again, the winning team in the set produced fewer kills as the Railsplitters held an 11-10 edge.

Lincoln Memorial raced to another hot start in the third set with a 5-1 lead, but the Eagles used a 10-2 run to vault ahead 13-10. The Railsplitters immediately pulled back even, but Cincinnati Christian used an 8-2 run to take a commanding 24-18 lead. The Railsplitters took the next three rallies, before the Eagles finally clinched the set on one of Lincoln Memorial's five service errors in the set. Despite the 25-21 loss, the Railsplitters held a 14-9 advantage in kills to continue the trend of the losing team holding the edge.

The Railsplitters took an early lead for the third time in four sets, 8-4, but once again couldn't hold on as Cincinnati Christian used a 9-4 run to take the lead. Lincoln Memorial could not re-take the lead despite numerous chances to do so as the score advanced to a 21-21 stalemate. The Eagles would go on to take the next four rallies to clinch the set and match. The team that held the lead in kills finally won a set, as Cincinnati Christian produced 17 to Lincoln Memorial's 13.

Game Two: Mount St. Joseph 3, Lincoln Memorial 0

The Railsplitters were doomed in their straight-set sweep at the hands of the Lions by a .093 kill percentage due in part to 23 attack errors.

Cory paced the Railsplitters in kills as usual for the sixth consecutive match with 10 and led all players with 27 attempts. Pedro Carvalho and Marcus Molina joined Cory as the only Railsplitters to total a kill percentage above .000. Molina's kill percentage of .385 led the team as he added seven kills compared to just two errors. Ryan Iskandar tallied 27 of the team's 29 assists.

Mount St. Joseph's Alex Vohland led all players with 14 kills and a scorching .619 kill percentage. Adam Williams added eight kills to go with his team-best six digs. Nathan Herdeman led all players with 29 assists, while Andrew Chisholm totaled six blocks.

The Lions took a 9-4 lead behind four Vohland kills to open the first set before the Railsplitters responded with four straight points to cut the deficit to one. That would be as close as Lincoln Memorial would get, as Mount St. Joseph never trailed in its 25-23 victory. Continuing the trend from the first match, the Railsplitters produced 14 kills to the Lions' 13.

Lincoln Memorial began the second set with a 5-3 lead, but that quickly disappeared with a 10-3 run by Mount St. Joseph. The Railsplitters pulled back to within one point at 18-17, but the Lions won seven of the final nine rallies to clinch the set. Once again the Railsplitters held the advantage in kills but were undone by 10 attack errors and a .029 kill percentage.

With the score tied at six to begin the third set, Mount St. Joseph went on a 9-1 run to take control 15-7. The Lions would go on to win the set 25-20. Errors plagues the Railsplitters again, as the team hit a paltry -.042 in the set with seven attack errors compared to just six kills. Mount St. Joseph finally led a set in kills with 13.