QUINCY, Ill. – After a hard-fought, four-set setback Friday night at Lindenwood in its first road test of 2020, the Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball team rebounded in a big way Saturday night. The Railsplitters improved to 2-1 on the year with a straight-set victory at Quincy University, earning their second sweep of the young season.
 
Holding the host Hawks (0-2) out of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) to a .085 attacking clip for the night, LMU won tightly-contested first and third sets, 25-23, and cruised to a 25-18 set two win.
 
With a season-high 12.5 total blocks in the match, the Railsplitters hit .163 and laid down 30 kills with a trio of service aces. Despite tallying 36 kills, Quincy claimed only six blocks and did not have single ace across the three sets.
 
A kill from sophomore outside hitter Jacob Titus and a Hawk attack error gave LMU a 6-4 lead in the opening set before Quincy won five-straight points to take a 9-6 advantage. Trailing 13-9, head coach John Cash called a timeout and the Railsplitters forced a pair of Hawk errors and got a block from Titus and senior middle hitter Pedro Carvalho. A 4-0 run with kills from Titus and senior opposite Evan Cory and an ace by Carvalho allowed LMU to retake the lead at 16-15. Knotted at 18, a Quincy serving error and Carvalho kill put the Railsplitters in front 20-18. Blocks by Carvalho, Titus and Cory gave LMU three set points at 24-20, but the Hawks would win the next three points before a Quincy attack error gave the Railsplitters the first set.
 
Tied up at 11 in the second set, LMU won five consecutive points with a trio of Hawk errors, a kill from Cory and a Carvalho ace and led for the remainder of the stanza. Quincy got within one at 19-18 after a kill and Railsplitter attack error but LMU closed out the set by winning the final six points. Along with four Hawk attack errors, the Railsplitters got an assisted block from Carvalho and Cory and a Carvalho kill.
 
In the third, LMU overcame a 7-3 deficit early and closed out the match with a pair of kills. Quincy won the first four points of the set and remained in control until the Railsplitters won five consecutive points to take an 8-7 lead with a pair of kills by Cory and three-straight blocks from sophomore middle/right side hitter Dawson Walker, sophomore setter Ryan Foy and Titus. A 4-1 run put the visitors ahead 15-10 and LMU led by four at 16-12 due to a bad set by the Hawks and again at 17-13 with a Titus kill on a Foy set. The home team got within one at 17-16 and 18-17 but back-to-back kills from Walker and sophomore outside hitter Johansen Negron created some separation to make it 20-17. After another Negron kill made it 23-20, Quincy earned consecutive points on a Railsplitter error and a block. Cory rose up for a kill to give LMU two match points at 24-22 before Titus sealed the triumph with his seventh kill of the night following a Railsplitter service error.
 
Cory led the way for LMU with 11 kills as Walker claimed five and Carvalho a season-high six blocks. Walker and Cory each notched a season-best five blocks and Carvalho added two aces. Foy assisted on 24 of the Railsplitters' 30 kills and made five digs.
 
Michael Ladner poured in a match-high 12 kills and added six digs for the host Hawks while Omari Wheeler provided 10 kills and Eddie Jakubauskas eight. Yoran Raymaekers posted three blocks and handed out a match-best 26 assists for Quincy with Noam Hannoun making a match-high eight digs.
 
Up Next…
The Railsplitters wrap up their four-match road trip next week by visiting nearby Tusculum Tuesday for a 7 p.m. first serve and traveling to Ohio State Thursday. On Monday, Jan. 20, LMU hosts preseason No. 1 and three-time NCAA finalist Hawai'i inside Tex Turner Arena.
 
How to Follow
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 Railsplitter volleyball throughout the 2020 season.