HARROGATE, Tenn. – After knocking off NCAA Division I Saint Francis University in a five-set thriller last Saturday afternoon, the Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball team needed just over an hour Friday night inside Mary Mars Gymnasium to dismantle Belmont Abbey College. The Railsplitters, who improved to 5-3 with the win and are ranked No. 7 nationally in the latest Off the Block Division II Coaches Poll, registered the second-best attacking percentage in program history.
 
Attacking at a season-best of clip of .515, LMU laid down 44 kills and tallied eight service aces to pick up its fourth straight-set victory of 2020. The Railsplitters made just nine errors on their attack and dominated for the entirety of the match, jumping out to an early lead in the first two sets and remaining in front in the third.
 
Claiming four total blocks on the night, compared the Crusaders' three, LMU cruised to 25-14 opening set, took set two by a 25-17 score and held steady for a 25-23 third set win.
 
The Conference Carolinas' Belmont Abbey (2-6) posted a .307 attack, recording 33 kills and making only 10 attack errors with a service ace.
 
The Railsplitters won nine of the first 13 points of the match, taking a 9-4 lead in the opening set off of back-to-back kills from sophomore middle/right side hitter Dawson Walker and junior outside hitter Logan Kerley. A trio of consecutive LMU points put the home team up 18-10 following two aces in a row by senior middle hitter Pedro Carvalho. Another kill by Kerley and a kill from sophomore outside hitter Johansen Negron capped an 8-2 Railsplitter run and gave LMU a commanding 23-12 lead. Kerley would then finish off the set with the Railsplitters' 12th kill of the match.
 
Collecting 15 kills in the second set and 17 in the third, LMU needed only 11 points in set two to build a significant lead. A pair of Crusader errors and an ace from senior opposite Evan Cory put the Railsplitters in front 8-3 before three-straight Belmont Abbey points made it 11-7. The Crusaders would get within three at 13-10 after winning three of four points, but three consecutive points by the home team pushed LMU's lead out to 16-10 following back-to-back kills from Carvalho and Kerley. Another kill from Kerley and a kill by Walker made things 20-13 before the Railsplitters went up 23-14 on a Crusader attack error. A Cory kill gave LMU set point at 24-15 and Cory rose up for the final kill of the set to give the Railsplitters a two-set advantage.
 
A much tighter third set ensued with Belmont Abbey compiling 16 kills in the final stanza. A Cory ace and a Crusader attack error put the home team up 7-3 after the first 10 points of the set, however, Belmont Abbey would get within one three times. Back-to-back kills from Cory pushed LMU's lead out to 12-9 and the Railsplitters took a 14-10 lead on a Carvalho kill and Crusader attack error. A kill by Walker put LMU in front by five at 16-11 before Belmont Abbey climbed its way back to make it 17-15 on a Railsplitter attack error. Another Cory kill gave LMU a comfortable 20-16 advantage, but the Crusaders would not go away and won four-straight points to get within one at 20-19. The two teams exchanged points for the remainder of the set but with a Cory kill to go up by two at 21-19, the Railsplitters were able to hold onto the lead and secure the match.
 
Cory accounted for four of LMU's final six points, all kills, to finish the night with a match-high 17 kills and eight digs. Kerley provided seven kills and Carvalho six, while Negron, Carvalho, Cory and Kerley each accounted for a pair of aces. Junior setter AJ Risavy earned a season-high three blocks and Walker had two as Risavy assisted on a season-best 40 of the Railsplitters' 44 kills.
 
Belmont Abbey got 11 kills, two blocks and an ace from Liam Maxwell and Andrew Kohut contributed eight kills and a pair of blocks. Kyle Ferguson recorded five kills and made two blocks of his own while Brennan Davis handed out 21 assists and dug six LMU attacks.  
 
Up Next…
The Railsplitters will have over a week off from match action before returning to the court for competition next Sunday, Feb. 9 in Ohio. LMU will take on Daemen College at 2 p.m. in Urbana, Ohio, before facing host Urbana at 4 p.m.
 
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.