HARROGATE, Tenn. – For the second-straight match the Lincoln Memorial University women's volleyball team overcame a 1-0 deficit to earn a South Atlantic Conference victory, doing so in five sets Friday night inside Mary Mars Gym versus Catawba College. The Lady Railsplitters (4-8, 4-5 SAC) picked up their fourth conference win of 2019 with a 3-2 (18-25, 25-20, 25-20, 21-25, 15-11) triumph over the visiting Indians (3-6, 2-6 SAC), registering a season-best 61 kills in the process.
 
Returning to the comforts of Harrogate following an extensive seven-match road swing, LMU quickly rebounded from an opening-set loss and took a 2-1 lead over Catawba with convincing five-point set two and three wins. Hitting at least 11 kills in each of the first four sets, the Lady Railsplitters used an impressive offensive display in the fifth set after dropping a tightly-contested fourth. LMU hit .391 in the final stanza and attacked at a clip of .188 for the match as the Indians hit .134 for the five sets and posted at least 10 kills in four of those with 49 total kills for the night.
 
Making a season-high 88 digs, the Lady Railsplitters got double-digit digs from five different players with four players reaching double-digit kills. Senior outside hitter Lindsey Nartker recorded her second double-double of the season, notching a team-high 13 kills to go along with season-best 14 digs.
 
The visitors pounced early, grabbing a 7-2 lead in the first set and holding on for a seven-point opening set win despite LMU getting within two at 17-15 thanks to a kill from freshman middle hitter Makayla Fox.
 
Responding in the second set, the Lady Railsplitters raced out to a 3-0 lead before a back-and-forth affair ensued. After an LMU attack error gave Catawba a 14-13 advantage, the Lady Railsplitters won six of the next seven points to build a 19-15 lead. A four-point Indian run would get Catawba within two at 21-19 but LMU won four of five points to secure the second set and tie the match at 1-1.
 
After a 6-6 tie and trailing by one at 8-7 in the third set, the Lady Railsplitters jumped ahead 17-9 thanks to a pair of five-point runs. An Indian attack error and a Rylee Storms kill gave LMU its largest lead of the set at 19-10 before Catawba got within four at 22-18. However, a trio of Indian errors helped the Lady Railsplitters reach 25 points and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Neither team was able to create much separation in the fourth set with Catawba maintaining a one or two point lead for much of the set. A kill from freshman middle hitter Kaley Long and another Storms kill put LMU in front, 20-19, but that would be the final lead of the set for the Lady Railsplitters. The Indians won six of the following seven points to even up the match once again at 2-2.
 
LMU would not be denied in the fifth, claiming a convincing 7-1 lead after a trio of kills from Long and Storms and a service ace from freshman outside hitter Cate Hosenfeld. Catawba fought its way back and made it a two-point match at 12-10 following a four-point Indian run. However, another Long kill and then back-to-back kills by Hosenfeld and Storms moments later secured the fifth set and the match for the Lady Railsplitters.
 
Junior middle hitter Yileen Ng He racked up 12 kills as Honsenfeld provided 11 and Storms 10, while junior libero Sarah Jones paced the LMU back row with a match-high 21 kills. Freshman defensive specialist Lauren Lask finished with 16 digs and sophomore setter Emily Walter contributed 12 to go along with her season-high 48 assists. Storms tied her career-high in blocks with eight total and both Fox and Long rose up for four each. Freshman outside hitter Emma Winford also reached double digits in digs with 11.
 
Catawba got a match-high 14 kills and three service aces from Jasmine Wooten with Jade Brooks adding 10 kills, seven total blocks and 16 digs. Clair Kellum had eight kills, an ace and 14 digs for the Indians, while Morgan Hester handed out 36 assists and Malia Carr made 16 digs.
 
Up Next…
The Lady Railsplitters return to action Saturday afternoon inside Mary Mars Gym, hosting league foe Queens at 2 p.m. Next weekend, LMU will head to nearby Jefferson City, Tennessee, for the SAC/Peach Belt Conference Challenge where the Lady Railsplitters will take on four Peach Belt Conference opponents inside Carson-Newman University's Holt Fieldhouse. LMU will play USC Aiken and Georgia College Friday, Oct. 11 before facing Lander and Augusta University Saturday, Oct. 12.

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.