HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball team will take part in the Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) Championship this weekend at Coker College's DeLoach Center. The Railsplitters (10-15) open play against Coker (12-9) at 5 p.m. on Friday before facing Alderson Broaddus (4-15) at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The top two teams as determined by record and various tiebreakers (sets won, total points scored and point differential) will meet in the IVA Championship title game at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Schedule/Gameday Links:
IVA Championship tournament central
 
Friday, April 7 vs. Coker (5pm) – Live Stats / Video
Saturday, April 8 vs. Alderson Broaddus (1pm) – Live Stats / Video
 
Quick Hits:
 
-The Railsplitters completed the inaugural regular-season schedule on March 29 with a 3-0 win (25-21, 25-12, 25-17) win at Bryan. Lincoln Memorial hit .390 in that contest with 39 kills and just nine errors, while the Lions finished with a meager .015 attack percentage and only 17 kills. With that win, the Railsplitters head into the IVA Championship riding a two-game winning streak after taking down Limestone in five sets on March 17.
 
-Lincoln Memorial led all three teams in this weekend's tournament field with three Off the Block/Springbak All-IVA selections, as opposite Evan Cory, outside hitter Joshua Riblett and middle hitter Pedro Carvalho each earned that distinction. Cory leads the Railsplitters in kills (251) and aces (28) while ranking second in kills per set (2.59), digs per set (1.56) and assists per set (0.88). Riblett has compiled a team-best 2.87 kills per set to go along with 1.33 digs per frame, while Carvalho has averaged 1.90 kills per set on a team-high .322 attack percentage.
 
-The Railsplitters lead the IVA and rank seventh nationally in opponent hitting percentage by allowing just a .205 clip. That is due in large part to an IVA-leading 8.88 digs per set. An opponent hasn't hit above .200 against Lincoln Memorial since Charleston posted a .259 effort on March 10.
 
-Lincoln Memorial split the regular-season series against Alderson Broaddus, notching the first win in program history with a five-set victory over the Battlers on January 14 at Mary Mars Gymnasium before falling at Alderson Broaddus in four sets on February 10. Friday will serve as the first-ever meeting between Lincoln Memorial and Coker.
 
-The Railsplitters are ranked third in the IVA in hitting percentage (.199), kills per set (10.21) and assists per set (9.38), but have hit above .200 in four of their last six appearances on the court. In fact, Lincoln Memorial surpassed the .200 mark in nine of its last 13 regular-season matches.
 
Notes on Coker:
 
-The Cobras enter the IVA Championship after closing out the regular season with wins in three of their last four matches. Coker ended the season with a 3-1 loss to Barton on April 4 after cruising past Alderson Broaddus, Erskine and Emmanuel in four sets or less.
 
-Coker is led by All-IVA opposite Joao Victor Santos, who has compiled a team-leading 201 kills and ranks among the top 20 nationally in kills per set with 3.41. The 6-7 native of Brasilia, Brazil has double-digit kills in 11 of his 19 appearances, including a 26-kill effort in a five-set win at Alderson Broaddus on February 11. He also had 19 kills in a four-set loss at Penn State.
 
-Sophomore Gabriel Castro is also a player to watch for the Cobras, as he has racked up 2.15 kills per set on a .219 attack percentage. Freshman middle Luca Berger is the only other Coker player with more than 100 kills this season, as he has recorded 1.53 kills per set on a team-high .407 attack percentage.
 
-The Cobras are ranked third in the nation in aces per set with 1.78, which has also forced opposing offenses to play out of system and hit just .209 against Coker. Berger leads the team with 37 aces, while senior Artur Cabral has accounted for 20 and Santos has 17.
 
-Coker is 2-0 against Alderson Broaddus this season with a 3-2 road victory on February 11 and a 3-0 home win on March 24.
 
Notes on Alderson Broaddus:
 
-The Battlers ended the season with five straight losses and won only a single set over that span – a 3-1 loss to Charleston in the regular-season finale on April 5. Prior to that season-ending five-game losing streak, Alderson Broaddus had won four matches over a five-game span with victories over Charleston and Belmont Abbey.
 
-Outside hitter Obenda Besongngem and middle hitter Myles Miller were named to the All-IVA team. Besongngem leads the Battlers in kills with 193 and kills per set with 2.88 on a .170 attack percentage to go along with 1.75 digs per set. Miller has contributed 1.51 kills per set on a team-high .319 attack percentage and 1.25 blocks per set.
 
-Justin Glader and Erik Arroyo are also putting up more than two kills per set for the Battlers. Glader has averaged 2.62 kills per set on a .269 attack percentage, while Arroyo has put down 2.03 kills per set on a .210 clip.
 
-Alderson Broaddus leads the IVA and ranks 22nd nationally in blocks per set with 2.08. Despite that, opponents are still hitting .262 against the Battlers. Along with Miller's 1.25 blocks per set, Terrell Hightower is averaging 0.62 blocks per set and Benjamin Bravo is accounting for 0.44.
 
-In the first meeting against Lincoln Memorial, Besongngem led all players with 17 kills and 10 errors. Miller put up seven kills on just nine attempts for a gaudy .667 attack percentage, while Adam Glader added seven on a .333 clip. In the Battlers' win over the Railsplitters on February 10, Justin Glader had 20 kills on a sizzling .581 attack percentage, while Besongngem had 14 and Arroyo had 10. Alderson Broaddus hit .404 as a team in that contest.