HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lincoln Memorial men's volleyball team (5-5) recorded a program-record 17 blocks to improve to 5-1 at Mary Mars Gymnasium this season with a four-set win over the short-handed Coker Cobras (4-3) on Friday night. The Railsplitters won by set scores of 25-17, 25-20, 22-25 and 25-15.
 
The Railsplitters hit a sizzling .340 and held the visiting Cobras to a meager .136 clip by breaking the previous program record for blocks of 16 that was set just a little over three weeks ago against Belmont Abbey. Of Lincoln Memorial's 17 total blocks, nine came in solo fashion, which is also a program record. Pedro Carvalho (9), Evan Cory (8) and Marcus Molina (6) led that effort at the net.
 
Cory also led the Railsplitters with 15 kills on an absurd .520 attack percentage, while Carvalho racked up 10 on a .350 clip. Joshua Riblett added nine and Jordan Walley contributed eight. AJ Risavy compiled 39 assists to go with seven digs and three kills. Logan Kerley led LMU with eight digs.
 
With only six players on the roster, Coker was incredibly short-handed but remained competitive thanks to a heroic effort from Joao Victor Santos, who piled up 22 kills on 47 attempts while adding five aces and four total blocks. Stephen Porras chipped in 10 kills while Gabriel Castro had eight. Aleksa Bijelic handed out 38 assists for the Cobras.
 
Powered by 11 combined kills without an error from Cory, Risavy and Carvalho, the Railsplitters hit a spectacular .455 to roll in the opening set. Lincoln Memorial never trailed and used an early 4-0 run to extend its lead to 11-5. The Railsplitters never led by less than three after that, while a 4-1 flurry pushed the lead to 17-10 and effectively ended the set. Cory's sixth kill of the frame clinched the 25-17 victory.
 
The Railsplitters took only a small step back in terms of hitting percentage in the second set with a .333 clip, however, Lincoln Memorial surpassed its first-set kill total with 14. Coker actually took its first lead of the match by pulling ahead 7-4 early, but the Railsplitters followed that up with a commanding 14-4 spurt. The Cobras never cut the deficit to less than four points after that, while Walley capped the 25-20 win with a kill.
 
After two efficient performances, the Railsplitters endured a shaky third set with a meager .219 attack percentage. Coker wasn't much better with a .258 clip but it was enough to extend the match with a 25-22 victory. Lincoln Memorial led 4-1 at the start before an 11-5 run gave the Cobras control. The Railsplitters never retook the lead after that despite tying the set two times and later cutting the deficit to 23-22. A kill from Santos and an ace held off LMU's comeback bid and clinched Coker's win.
 
The Railsplitters took control of the fourth and final set right from the start, winning the first eight points due in large part to five Coker errors. The Cobras rallied back and trimmed the deficit to 9-7, but Lincoln Memorial rattled off a 9-2 spurt to extend the lead to 18-9. A late 4-0 run pushed the lead even further until a service error capped the 25-15 win.
 
Lincoln Memorial will take an extended break before returning to action on February 17 with a trip to North Greenville. That match gets underway at 5 p.m.