HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters (7-8) will take a break from South Atlantic Conference play this weekend and head to South Carolina to play four matches as part of the SAC vs. Peach Belt Conference Challenge.
 
Lincoln Memorial will stop in Greenwood, S.C. on Friday to face Georgia College (9-3) at noon before playing the host Lander Bearcats (9-5) at 4 p.m. The Lady Railsplitters then drop by Aiken, S.C. on Saturday to play Augusta (10-7) at noon and USC Aiken (14-2) at 4 p.m.
 
The Basics
 
Friday, October 13 vs. Georgia College (Greenwood, S.C.) – Noon 
Friday, October 13 at Lander (Greenwood, S.C.) – 4 p.m. Live Stats / Video
Saturday, October 14 vs. Augusta (Aiken, S.C.) – Noon Live Stats
Saturday, October 14 at USC Aiken (Aiken, S.C.) – 4 p.m. Live Stats / Video
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Lady Railsplitters avoided their first six-game losing streak since 1997 with a 25-27, 25-13, 25-20, 26-24 win over the Mars Hill Lions on Tuesday at Mary Mars Gym. After giving up 15 kills and dropping the first set, Lincoln Memorial allowed Mars Hill to get just 29 combined kills over the next three sets to rally for the victory.
 
- Senior outside hitter Kiera Holland compiled a career-high 25 kills on just 40 attempts, finishing with a sizzling .450 attack percentage. That represents the most kills by an LMU volleyball player since Blaire Fowler racked up 27 against Catawba in November of 2012. It was also the second 20-plus kill performance of the season for Holland.
 
- After mustering just seven digs in the loss to Wingate and averaging less than five digs per set over her last five matches, Erica Whiteaker piled up 47 against Mars Hill – an average of 11.75 per set. That broke the program's four-set record for digs and was the third 40-plus dig effort of the season for Whiteaker, including her second against Mars Hill.
 
- The Lady Railsplitters went 3-1 against this same collection of opponents in last season's SAC vs. Peach Belt Conference Challenge, defeating Augusta, Lander and Georgia College before losing to USC Aiken. Including a loss to Francis Marion earlier this season, Lincoln Memorial is 5-6 against PBC foes since the start of the 2015 season.
 
- After this weekend, Lincoln Memorial will conclude the regular season by playing six of its last nine SAC matches at Mary Mars Gym. The Lady Railsplitters will need to make up some ground, as they are currently tied for eighth in the league at 4-7.
 
Know the Opponents
 
- Georgia College is currently in third place in the PBC standings and heads into the weekend having won back-to-back 3-0 matches over Albany State and West Georgia. The Bobcats share two common opponents with Lincoln Memorial in Anderson and Francis Marion. Georgia College and LMU were both swept by Anderson, while the Bobcats beat Francis Marion, who defeated the Lady Railsplitters at Mary Mars Gym.
 
- Ebony Powers leads the Georgia College attack with 3.36 kills per set, while Taylor Svehla (2.85) and Libby Bochniak (2.67) are also contributing over two kills per set. Kayla Brockaway is putting up 10.46 assists per set, while Chandler Ewaldsen has a team-best 5.59 digs per set.
 
- Lander won nine of its first 10 matches of the season, but has since dropped four consecutive matches to Augusta, Georgia College, Flagler and USC Aiken to fall into a tie for fifth place in the seven-team PBC. The Bearcats are 2-1 against the SAC this season with wins over Coker and Newberry and a loss to Anderson. LMU is 0-3 against those same opponents.
 
- Hannah Hritz is carrying the Bearcat offense with 3.38 kills per set on a .222 attack percentage. Dale Rogers is the only other Lander play with more than two kills per set, averaging 2.38 on a .122 attack percentage. Sophia Perkins and Nell Copeland both have over 200 assists this season, with Perkins leading that duo with 5.58 per set. Hannah McManus leads the team with 341 digs and 6.20 per set.
 
- Augusta is in fourth place in the PBC with a 3-3 conference mark. The Jaguars lost their third straight match on Tuesday night with a 3-1 setback at Queens. Augusta has struggled of late, but they are one of just three teams to take a set off of SAC-leading Wingate this season.
 
- Six regulars are averaging well over a kill per set for the Jaguars, led by McKenzey Beck's 3.14 per set on a .270 attack percentage. Beck also ranks second on the team with 4.83 assists per set. Savanna Gonzales is also getting it done with 2.72 kills per set on a .212 clip. Jessica Hedrick is hitting a team-best .299 with 1.83 kills per set. Holland Martin leads the team with 5.78 digs per frame.
 
- USC Aiken has won back-to-back Peach Belt Conference regular-season titles and hosted the past two NCAA Division II Southeast Regionals. After going 31-5 and making their first appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight last season, the Pacers on well on their way to a repeat with a 14-2 record and a 6-0 mark in PBC play. Since losing to West Florida and Wheeling Jesuit in the first two matches of the season, USC Aiken has reeled off 14 consecutive wins.
 
- The Pacers are averaging 13.8 kills per set and hitting .220 this season. Julia Forster and Alie Smith lead the team with 3.30 and 3.07 kills per set, respectively, while Christine Carroll and Avery Macklin are also contributing over two kills per set. Emily Teelon is directing the offense with 10.10 assists per set, while Rebecca Martinez leads all players with 6.49 digs per set.
 
- USC Aiken is ranked 12th in the nation in opponent hitting percentage, allowing just a .112 clip for the season. The Pacers' 19.8 digs per set are the seventh-most in the nation.
 
Head-to-Head
 
- Lincoln Memorial won its only-ever meeting with Georgia College during the 2016 campaign, pulling out a 3-2 win in Jefferson City, Tenn.
 
- The Lady Railsplitters own a slim 6-5 edge over Lander, but the Bearcats have won five of the last eight matches between the two teams. However, Lincoln Memorial swept Lander in last season's SAC vs. Peach Belt Challenge to snap a three-game losing streak in the series.
 
- Lincoln Memorial is a perfect 8-0 all-time against Augusta and has never required more than four sets in any of those eight wins. The Lady Railsplitters won last season's meeting 3-1.
 
- USC Aiken is 4-3 all-time against Lincoln Memorial and has dominated the last three matches in the series. The Lady Railsplitters are aiming for their first win over USC Aiken since 2013.