Box Score HARROGATE, Tenn. – Junior outside hitter Joshua Riblett (Torrence, Calif.) obliterated the program record for kills, but Mount Olive (10-6) rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take down the Railsplitters (6-10) in a five-set thriller at Mary Mars Gym on Sunday afternoon. Lincoln Memorial saw its three-game winning streak snapped by scores of 22-25, 26-24, 25-23, 20-25 and 11-15.
 
Riblett, who entered Sunday's showdown against the Trojans with the four highest kill outputs in the Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball program's single-match history, tallied 26 kills on 53 attempts for a .340 attack percentage, smashing the previous record of 18. It also represents the eighth-most kills by any player in a five-set match in the nation this season.
 
In addition to Riblett, freshman middle Pedro Carvalho (Sao Paulo, Brazil) posted a career-high 16 kills on just 27 attempts for a .444 clip to go along with seven blocks, while Evan Cory (Metairie, La.) and Nico Triana (Miami, Fla.) had six kills apiece. Ryan Iskandar (Tempe, Ariz.) produced five kills without an error on eight tries while racking up 52 assists and seven digs. Jorge Collazo (San Juan, Puerto Rico) led the way with 15 digs, while Cory chipped in 12.
 
The Railsplitters finished with 62 kills compared to 58 for Mount Olive, but Lincoln Memorial gave away nearly an entire set with 20 service errors. By contrast, the Trojans had just nine service miscues. LMU also had 28 attack errors, but that mark was nearly even with Mount Olive, who finished with 24.
 
Bret Rutledge led the Mount Olive attack with 17 kills to go along with seven digs and four blocks, while Brad Monaghan had 11 kills, seven digs and four blocks as well. Alex Palmatier notched nine kills and six blocks, while Kian Hollevoet had eight kills and seven digs. Andrew Sydow collected five kills and led the team with seven blocks. Jeff Yasalonis (28) and Shane Yeo (13) combined for 41 assists.
 
The Trojans never trailed in the opening set and raced out to a 10-4 lead on an Iskandar service error. The Railsplitters controlled the next passage of play and cut the deficit to 12-10 on a Mount Olive miscue, but the Trojans quickly pushed the lead back to 18-13 on a kill by Yasalonis. Lincoln Memorial won four of the next five rallies to pull within two, but that's as close as it would get. UMO finished off the 25-22 win with a kill by Monaghan.
 
The back-and-forth second set featured 13 ties and seven lead changes, but a late 7-2 spurt put the Trojans in front 24-19. However, the Railsplitters rode Triana's serve to end the set on a 7-0 run and stun Mount Olive 26-24. The Trojans had three attack errors over that span, which drew the match even at 1-1, while Iskandar, Riblett and Carvalho had kills.
 
The Railsplitters carried that momentum into the third set and used a 4-0 flurry to take a 13-8 lead. Lincoln Memorial maintained at worst a two-point cushion down the closing stretch until kills by Hollevoet and Rutledge closed the gap to 23-22. However, an attack error and a kill by Riblett clinched LMU's 25-23 win.
 
An early 5-2 run gave the Trojans an 8-5 advantage in the fourth frame, and the Mount Olive lead hovered in that vicinity for most of the set. Lincoln Memorial trailed 15-11, but used a 6-2 spurt capped by a Riblett ace to tie it up at 17-17. However, UMO won three of the next four rallies to pull ahead 20-18. The Railsplitters could never tie it up again after that, while three straight kills by Palmatier sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
 
The Railsplitters trailed by a narrow 7-5 margin in the fifth set after a kill from Riblett and a Mount Olive attack error, but the Trojans won the next four rallies to build a commanding 11-5 advantage. Lincoln Memorial scratched and clawed from there, but a kill by Rutledge ended it 15-11 in favor of the Trojans.
 
It marked just the second loss for Lincoln Memorial on its home court and snapped a three-match winning streak at Mary Mars. It was also the fifth five-set match played at Mars Gym this season.
 
The Railsplitters wrap up their six-match home stand on Tuesday when they welcome Bluefield to Mary Mars Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. start.