HARROGATE, Tenn. – Behind consistent play, visiting Carson-Newman collected its eighth-straight win and handed the host Lincoln Memorial University women's volleyball team a straight-set loss inside Mary Mars Gymnasium Tuesday night in Harrogate. The Eagles (15-5, 9-4) attacked at clip of .308 across three sets and tallied 36 kills to earn the 3-0 South Atlantic Conference road win.
 
Held to a .084 hitting percentage for the match, the Lady Railsplitters (6-14, 5-8) attacked at a .242 mark in the opening set but were outdone 25-20 before Carson-Newman took sets two and three, 25-16. LMU made 28 kills on the night but was hampered by 19 errors as the Eagles used 10 blocks and nine aces to get the victory.
 
After the Lady Railsplitters claimed the first four points of the matchup, Carson-Newman won six-straight points and took a 13-9 lead in the opening set following a five-point run. LMU would get no closer than four for the remainder of the set despite winning five of the final eight points.
 
The Eagles jumped out to a 10-3 lead in set two and never looked back, increasing their advantage to nine at 14-5 thanks to a trio of Lady Railsplitter errors and a Carson-Newman kill. The Blue and Gray got within six at 18-12 on a service ace from junior libero Sarah Jones but five straight Eagle points made it a 23-12 set.  A pair of kills from senior outside hitter Lindsey Nartker and two Carson-Newman attack errors got LMU within seven at 23-16 but the Eagles closed out the set with back-to-back kills.
 
A five-point Lady Railsplitter run in the third stanza put LMU up 8-6 and a kill by freshman outside hitter Cate Hosenfeld gave the home team a 9-7 lead. However, it would be the last of the night for the Lady Railsplitters as Carson-Newman went on a 10-1 run. The Lady Railsplitters would not be able to get any closer than five for the rest of the set with the Eagles clinching the match by taking four of the final five points.
 
Hosenfeld led the way for LMU with eight kills, while Nartker provided seven and senior right side hitter Rylee Storms six. Sophomore setter Emily Walter totaled 19 assists, made 12 digs and notched a pair of service aces as Jones dug out 10 Carson-Newman attacks.
 
The Eagles got a match-high 12 kills and four aces from Marnie Streeter, to go along with five blocks, and nine kills from Erin Edwards. Megan Oldenburger served three aces for Carson-Newman and Katie Parnell rose up for a match-high seven blocks. Edwards and Streeter posted five blocks each, while Taylor Rohr handed out 21 assists and Morgan Ballard reached 19 digs.
 
The match served as LMU's annual "Pink Out" game to raise awareness for breast cancer.
 
Up Next…
The Lady Railsplitters wrap up their five-match homestand this weekend by hosting Newberry and Anderson. The Wolves visit the friendly confines of Mary Mars Gym Friday evening for a 7 p.m. tilt, before LMU hosts the Trojans Saturday at 2 p.m. Earlier this season, the Lady Railsplitters were edged in five-set matches by both Newberry and Anderson on the road.

Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Lady Railsplitter volleyball throughout the 2019 season.