HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters completed a nearly perfect opening weekend on Saturday afternoon at Mary Mars Gymnasium by defeating Chowan in straight sets before moving to 4-0 with a four-set win over Emmanuel.
 
Lincoln Memorial, which is off to a 4-0 start for the second consecutive season, was utterly dominant in its third straight 3-0 win to kick off the 2018 campaign, hitting .357 while holding Chowan to a -.038 clip in a 25-7, 25-14, 25-13 evisceration. 
 
The Lady Railsplitters were on the verge of another 3-0 sweep in the nightcap against Emmanuel, when they took sets one and two by scores of 25-17 and 25-19. However, the Lions handed LMU its first set loss of the season with a 25-15 win in set three. LMU clapped back with a decisive 25-15 win in set four to clinch the victory, though. 
 
LMU will take the week off before returning to action next weekend at the Pioneer Volleyball Classic. The Lady Railsplitters are set to face Georgia College at 2 p.m. on Friday before turning their attention to Montevallo on Saturday at 2 p.m. as well. 
 
Match One: Lincoln Memorial 3, Chowan 0 
 
Chowan provided little resistance for the Lady Railsplitters, who recorded their highest attack percentage since a .384 effort against Mars Hill on October 25, 2016. LMU racked up 36 kills with just six errors for a .357 mark, while the Hawks managed only 15 kills with 18 miscues. 
 
Emma Flowers tallied a match-high nine kills on a .438 clip, while Kai Wesemann chipped in eight kills and no errors with a .471 attack percentage. Rylee Storms added seven kills on just 17 swings. Emily Walter posted her second double-double in three matches with 22 assists and 10 digs, while Erica Whiteaker filled up the stat sheet with 14 digs, seven assists and five aces. 
 
Milica Vejnovic led Chowan with four kills and eight attack errors. Sydney Hiner, Kayla Gates and Courtney O'Keefe had three kills apiece. Micayla Pope produced 13 assists, while Hiner also led the team with 17 digs. 
 
The first set was never in doubt as the Lady Railsplitters used a 9-0 run to establish a commanding 10-1 lead. The lead only grew from there, as LMU eventually pulled ahead 18-5 on a Chowan attack error. The Lady Railsplitters never conceded consecutive points in the set and closed on a 5-0 run to win it 25-7, punctuated by two aces from Whiteaker. 
 
The Lady Railsplitters raced out to another lopsided lead in set two, pulling ahead 13-5 following back-to-back kills from Walter and Tone Gill. A 4-0 Chowan run closed the gap to 13-9, but that's as close as it would get. A late 6-0 flurry gave the Lady Railsplitters a 24-13 advantage, and Gill finished things off two rallies later with a kill. 
 
For the first time in the match, Chowan took a lead in the third set, going ahead 5-4, 6-5 and 7-6. However, a 7-0 run sparked by two kills from Wesemann put the Lady Railsplitters back in the driver's seat with an 18-10 cushion. The LMU lead was never less than seven after that, while kills from Flowers and Kaylee Stone clinched the straight-set win. 
 
Match Two: Lincoln Memorial 3, Emmanuel 1 
 
The Lady Railsplitters uncorked a season-high 55 kills on a .242 attack percentage to complete the weekend sweep despite allowing the Lions to amass 42 kills on a .225 clip in the fourth and final match of the weekend. 
 
Flowers paced Lincoln Memorial for the third time in four matches, recording a career-high 14 kills on a .370 clip. Gill racked up 12 kills to tie her previous career-high mark, while Lindsey Nartker (11), Storms (8) and Alicia Kessler (8) also made significant offensive impacts. 
 
Walter nearly reached the illustrious 50-assist plateau, finishing with a career-high 47 to go with nine digs. Whiteaker led all players with 26 digs in the contest. 
 
Julie de Blanck had 13 kills and Jessica Gray and Jenna Woodruff had 10 apiece to lead the Emmanuel attack. Stephanie Hardy compiled 39 assists, while Aysha Avery tallied 18 digs. 
 
After trading points early in the opening set, the Lady Railsplitters took control with a 9-1 run that was fueled by five kills from Kessler. That stretch gave Lincoln Memorial a 13-5 lead, and the home team would not lead by less than seven points the rest of the way. Gill capped the 25-17 win with a kill. 
 
Emmanuel won the first point of the second set, but the Lady Railsplitters scored the next five points and never trailed after that. LMU wouldn't completely take control until a 6-1 spurt made it 19-11. However, the Lions fought back to close the gap to three points on two different occasions, but a 3-0 closing run capped by a kill from Nartker gave the Lady Railsplitters the 25-19 win. 
 
The Lions snapped Lincoln Memorial's streak of 11 consecutive set wins to open the 2018 campaign in the third frame. After establishing a narrow lead early in the stanza, Emmanuel used a 5-0 run to take complete control with a 19-10 lead. The Lady Railsplitters never pulled to within fewer than seven points, while a kill by Woodruff forced a fourth set. LMU hit -.088 in the set while Emmanuel hit .433.
 
The Lady Railsplitters returned the favor in set four, though, racing ahead 11-5 on three straight kills from Nartker and an ace from Storms. Nursing a 17-11 lead, the Lady Railsplitters then put the match away with a 6-0 run powered by three aces from Whiteaker. Nartker finished off the 25-15 win with a kill.