HARROGATE, Tenn. – Rylee Storms,
Kiera Holland and
Lindsey Nartker combined for 41 kills to lead the Lady Railsplitters in a season-opening 3-1 win over the Lee Flames in game one of the LMU Volleyball Tournament on Thursday morning at Mary Mars Gymnasium. Lincoln Memorial, who returns to the court at 8 pm to face the King Tornado, snapped a six-match losing streak in season openers that dated back to the start of the 2011 season with the victory.
Holland had 15 kills, six digs, three blocks and two aces, while Storms compiled 15 kills, eight digs, six blocks and two aces in her debut for the Lady Railsplitters. Nartker chipped in with 11 kills, 14 digs, six assists and four blocks, while
Danielle Ged and
Tone Gill tallied five kills apiece.
Erica Whiteaker paced all players by a substantial sum with 35 digs.
Samantha Cash turned in a standout performance in her first match as the starting setter, coincidentally taking the place of her sister, former All-Southeast Region performer
Abby Cash. Cash fell just shy of a triple-double with a career-best 41 assists, seven kills and nine digs to power the LMU offense.
The Lady Railsplitters also rode a stingy defensive effort to keep the Flames at bay. Led by Gill's nine individual blocks, Lincoln Memorial racked up 14 as a team to hold Lee to a .190 attack percentage. By contrast, the Lady Railsplitters hit .226 and were stuffed just four times.
Brooke Wilsman led the Flames with 15 kills, while Silvia Sartori chipped in 14. Sadie Johnson paced the team with 23 assists, while MaKayla Beebe notched 15 digs.
Holland and Storms carried the Lady Railsplitters to a grueling back-and-forth victory in the opening set, combining for nine kills with just two errors. After the Flames raced out to an early 5-2 lead, neither team led by more than two points until Lincoln Memorial rolled off three unanswered points on kills from Holland and Storms to build a 21-18 cushion. Following a timeout by the visitors, Lee responded with a 4-0 run fueled by three kills to take a 22-21 lead. The lead changed twice after that until the Lady Railsplitters faced set point trailing 24-23. However, a kill and ace from Storms capped off a 3-0 flurry that gave the Lady Railsplitters a 26-24 win.
The Lady Railsplitters carried that momentum into the second set. After hitting .265 in the opener, Lincoln Memorial improved upon that mark with 15 kills on a .303 mark in the second. It took some time for the Lady Railsplitters to get going, as Lee opened up a 5-1 lead before the home team clapped back with an 11-5 spurt to take a 12-10 lead on a kill from Nartker. The Flames briefly regained the lead at 13-12, but a 7-2 run powered by five kills effectively sealed the set. Storms and Ged later combined on a block to complete the 25-17 triumph.
The back-and-forth nature of the match continued in set three. Neither team led by more than three for the entire set, but the Flames would extend the match with a late run. The Lady Railsplitters assumed a 17-16 lead on a kill by Storms, but Lee won five of the next six rallies to pull ahead 21-18. The Flames maintained a three-point lead at 22-19 following a Bailey Kress kill. With their backs against the wall, LMU won four straight rallies to take a 23-22 lead. However, a kill, an attack error and an ace comprised a 3-0 flurry for the Flames, who picked up the 25-23 win.
The Lady Railsplitters jumped on the Flames early in the fourth and final set, racing out to an 8-3 lead. A kill by Storms and a Lee attack error helped LMU maintain a four-point lead at 14-10, but the Flames used a 5-0 run to take a 17-16 lead late. The two teams exchanged short spurts before two kills and two Lee miscues gave the Lady Railsplitters a 24-22 lead. Ged then clinched the match with a kill to finish off the 25-23 win.
The Lady Railsplitters hit above .250 in all but the third set. As a team, Lincoln Memorial amassed 58 kills with just 22 errors, eight of which occurred in that third frame.
