PHILIPPI, W.V. –The top-seeded Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball team claimed its first championship of any kind with a thrilling five-set win over the Coker Cobras (13-10) in the Independent Volleyball Association Championship Tournament final (25-21, 24-26, 32-30, 23-25, 15-10) on Saturday afternoon. The victory concludes the Railsplitters' season and gives Lincoln Memorial (14-13) its first-ever winning season.
Evan Cory tied a program record with 26 kills, tied a career high with nine blocks and added 11 digs and a pair of service aces to lead the Railsplitters.
Joshua Riblett pitched in 17 kills and hit .361 in his final game for LMU.
Marcus Molina tallied seven kills and hit .545 in his final game.
Pedro Carvalho recorded 10 blocks, including two solo, to likely finish as the national leader in both categories.
AJ Risavy set a program record with 53 assists.
Lincoln Memorial also tied a team record for kills (62) and set a new record for total blocks (21). The team led 62-57 in kills overall and hit .237 to Coker's .158. The Railsplitters also led 21-12 in blocks and 42-41 in digs. Coker held a 6-4 edge in service aces.
Joao Victor Santos led the Cobras with 23 kills and six blocks but committed 15 attack errors and hit just .148. Gabriel Castro chipped in 15 kills while Stephen Porra added 14, but hit .103 and .184, respectively.
Lincoln Memorial never trailed in the opening set and opened on a 12-6 run. Coker narrowed the deficit to three points on several occasions, but a Molina kill sealed the 25-21 set win. LMU led 13-10 in kills and hit .346 while Coker posted a .208 mark.
Coker ultimately triumphed in the highly-competitive second set, which contained 13 ties and nine lead changes. Kills and errors were tied at 12 and eight apiece, and both teams hit almost even with Coker holding a slight .148-.138 edge. Neither team led by more than two points at any point during the set. The Cobras used a Porras kill and LMU attack error to break a 24-24 tie and even the match at one apiece.
Set three remained hotly contested and turned into the longest set in LMU men's volleyball program history. The Railsplitters emerged victorious, 32-30, after 14 more ties and six lead changes. LMU led 19-17 in kills and hit .342 to Coker's .229. Kills by Cory and Walley broke a 30-30 tie to put the Railsplitters ahead 2-1 in the match. Cory tallied 10 kills in the set while Santos had 11.
The Cobras staved off defeat by taking set four 25-23 to even the match at 2-2. Kills were tied at 11 apiece, but neither team hit well as both recorded their lowest hitting percentage of any set. LMU only hit .029 while Coker was slightly better at .118. The Cobras led for most of the set after taking four of the first five points. A 6-1 Railsplitter run gave the team a 13-12 advantage, but Coker immediately responded with a 10-2 run to take a commanding 22-15 lead. Lincoln Memorial battled back to cut the score to 24-23, but a Santos kill sealed the set for the Cobras.
Coker opened the fifth and deciding set with a 7-4 lead, but Lincoln Memorial then reeled off six straight points to take the lead for good. The Railsplitters finished on an 11-3 run overall to take the set 15-10 and claim their first IVA Championship. Kills were again even at seven apiece, but LMU only committed one attack error and hit a match-high .500 while the Cobras racked up six attack errors and struggled to their match-low mark of .053. Risavy sealed the win with just his second kill of the match.
