HARROGATE, Tenn. – Behind a .329 attack and 13 kills from senior opposite Evan Cory, the Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball team won its 19th consecutive home match and began its 2020 campaign with a straight-set win over visiting Mount Olive Tuesday night. The Railsplitters, who have now won 21 of their previous 28 matches, won two gritty sets and fought off an undeterred Trojan squad for their second-straight season-opening sweep.
 
Taking the opening set 25-23, LMU (1-0) was able to create separation in the second for a 25-19 set win before closing out the match in dramatic fashion with a hard-fought 26-24 set three victory.
 
Tallying 39 kills as a team, the Railsplitters hit .323 in the first set and laid down 14 kills before ending the night by hitting .354 in the third set with 16 kills. LMU collected nine blocks and served eight aces as Mount Olive (0-1) attacked at a .233 mark for the match with 36 kills, six blocks and four aces.
 
The Trojans won four of the first six points of the match before a Cory kill off a set from freshman libero Attia Soliman gave the hosts a 9-7 lead in the first. Two more kills by Cory and another two from junior outside hitter Logan Kerley kept the Railsplitters in front by two, but Mount Olive would tie things up three times. Knotted up at 19, LMU got a Kerley Kill off a set from sophomore setter Ryan Foy and took a 21-19 lead on a Trojan attack error. Two more Mount Olive miscues gave the Railsplitters three set points at 24-21, however, the Trojans got back-to-back kills from Eric Visgitis and Iyanu Adebisi to make thing interesting. Then, a kill from sophomore middle hitter Dawson Walker on a Foy set quickly ended the first stanza.
 
Contrarily to the opening set, LMU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second and went up 8-4 on a Cory service ace. Consecutive kills from Walker and Cory put the Railsplitters out in front by five at 10-5 and LMU continued to control the set. Leading 16-12 off a Mount Olive serving error, the Railsplitters saw their lead quickly vanish as the Trojans went on a four-point run to even things up at 16. From there, LMU dominated and won nine of the following 11 points. Winning the final six points of the set, the Railsplitters benefited from a trio of Mount Olive miscues but got three aces from Foy.
 
Despite LMU only hitting .286 in set three with nine kills, the Trojans were limited to a .174 attack percentage and eight kills.
 
Trailing 5-2 in the third, LMU climbed its way back and took a 9-7 lead with four consecutive points. After back-to-back kills by Kerley and Cory, the Trojans made a pair of attack errors to allow the home team back in the driver's seat. Kills from Foy and Cory sparked a 5-1 Railsplitter run that put LMU up 14-9. A Mount Olive serving error and an ace from senior middle hitter Pedro Carvalho built a six-point lead for the Railsplitters at 16-10. Moments later, back-to-back kills by Walker and Kerley gave LMU a sizable 18-12 advantage. Cory was able to lay down another kill to make it 19-13 before the Trojans made a valiant comeback attempt. Winning eight of the next 10 points, Mount Olive tied up the set at 21-all before the Railsplitters could respond. Despite a kill from sophomore outside hitter Johansen Negron, the Trojans took a 23-22 lead with a kill and an ace by Luke Visgitis.
 
Following a called timeout by head coach John Cash, Cory made his 13th kill of the night and Mount Olive had a bad set to give LMU match point at 24-23. The Trojans would get one final kill from Jarrod Ferguson, but a Walker kill, and a Mount Olive attack error sealed the match for the Railsplitters.
 
Walker and Kerley both finished with nine kills, while Foy served four aces and Cory two. Walker led LMU's block with five total as Carvalho provided four and Kerley two. Foy racked up a career-high 34 assists and Cory and Soliman each made six digs.
 
The Trojans were led by Tobi Azeez' 13 kills and the Visgitis brothers' combined 15 kills. Luke Visgitis also had a pair of aces and team-high four blocks for Mount Olive while Shane Yeo handed out 32 assists and Ferguson earned a match-high 11 digs.
 
Up Next…
The Railsplitters hit the road for a pair of Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) matches over the weekend, traveling to Lindenwood University and Quincy University. LMU takes on Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri, Friday night at 8 p.m. EST before heading to Quincy, Illinois, for an 8 p.m. EST first serve Saturday night.
 
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.