HARROGATE, Tenn. – A nearly impenetrable defensive effort helped the Lady Railsplitters (6-3, 3-3 SAC) defeat the Catawba Indians (3-5, 1-3 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action on Friday night at Mary Mars Gym. Lincoln Memorial opened its four-game home stand and remained unbeaten at home this season by scores of 25-15, 23-25, 27-25 and 25-17.
 
The Lady Railsplitters had a solid night offensively, racking up 52 kills on a .194 attack percentage, but it was what they did defensively that paved the way for the victory. Lincoln Memorial held the visiting Indians to just 34 kills – an average of 8.5 per set – on a dismal .043 attack percentage. Catawba accounted for seven kills or less in three of the four sets aside from a 14-kill effort in the third.
 
Kiera Holland led the Lady Railsplitters both offensively and defensively, posting a team-high 13 kills to go along with seven blocks and 13 digs. Rylee Storms racked up 11 kills on a .290 attack percentage with five digs and five blocks, while Tone Gill produced 10 kills and five blocks. Kai Wesemann collected eight kills over the final three sets, while Lindsey Nartker had seven. Danielle Ged matched Holland with a team-high seven blocks.
 
Samantha Cash piled up 46 assists and 12 digs, while Erica Whiteaker – the nation's leader in digs per set – was held to just 26 digs on the night. Nine different players finished with at least five digs for Lincoln Memorial.
 
The two teams exchanged short runs throughout the early portion of the first set, but the Lady Railsplitters seized control of the set with a 6-0 run powered by three kills from Nartker to take a 20-13 lead. Lincoln Memorial never relinquished control after that, ending the set with three straight points, two of which came via kills from Storms, to take an easy-breezy 25-15 win.
 
Despite mustering just seven kills in the second set, the Indians took advantage of 10 LMU attack errors and five service errors to draw the match even. Even with the errors piling up, the Lady Railsplitters held a 15-11 lead in the set until a 9-2 flurry put Catawba in command, 20-17. Lincoln Memorial closed the gap to one on three different occasions after that, but an attack error ended any comeback bid and gave the Indians a 25-23 victory.
 
The third set provided the most dramatic twists and turns of the night, and ultimately swung the momentum once and for all. Lincoln Memorial raced out to a 10-7 lead, but a 6-2 run put the Indians in the lead. The Lady Railsplitters later pulled back ahead 18-15 on a kill by Gill, but Catawba fought back to tie it again at 20-20. The two teams traded 3-0 runs that saw the Lady Railsplitters build a three-point lead and squander it. However, Lincoln Memorial ultimately prevailed 27-25 courtesy of a service error and a combo block by Ged, Storms and Holland.
 
The Lady Railsplitters never trailed in the fourth and final set, racing out to a 16-4 lead. The Indians cut into that deficit substantially down the stretch, but Lincoln Memorial was able to make that lead hold up to clinch the match with a 25-17 victory. LMU turned in its best defensive effort in that frame, allowing just six kills on a -.100 attack percentage.
 
Allie Grubb was the lone Catawba player to produce double-digit kills, finishing with 14 on a solid .333 hitting percentage. No other Indian accounted for more than six kills. Rachel Stanford led the way with 19 assists to go along with 16 digs, while Allison Benton led the Catawba defense with 22 scoops.
 
The victory avenged a 3-0 loss to Catawba in Salisbury in November 2016. Lincoln Memorial also improved to 15-12 in the all-time series.
 
The Lady Railsplitters host the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears back at Mary Mars Gym on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Bears routed the Carson-Newman Eagles in straight sets on Friday night to push their winning streak to five. Live stats will be available for the match at www.LMURailsplitters.com.