HARROGATE, Tenn. – Taking on its fifth consecutive Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) opponent and returning to Harrogate following a five-match road swing, the Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball team was unable to return to its winning ways Saturday inside Mary E. Mars Gymnasium. The Railsplitters (1-6) earned a well-played third set after being barely edged in the second set but were ultimately handed a 3-1 setback by visiting Lindenwood University.
 
The loss was LMU's first inside its home venue of Mary Mars Gym in exactly three years (Jan. 30, 2018 vs. King).
 
Despite tallying the second-most kills this season (47) and getting a career day from sophomore outside hitter Jacob Titus, who posted 17 kills, the Railsplitters could not keep the Lions (3-0) off the block. Lindenwood recorded 12 total team blocks and the Lions got 10 points off of service aces.
 
A strong 25-15 opening set by Lindenwood gave the Lions a 1-0 lead in the match before a mere two points decided the second (25-23). LMU controlled the third set en route to a 25-17 win, but Lindenwood proved to be steady in the fourth and completed the match with a 25-18 set four victory.
 
Both teams swung at a clip over .230 with the Railsplitters attacking at a .231 mark and the Lions at .247 with 44 kills. LMU rose up for six total team blocks but collected just one ace across the four sets.
 
Lindenwood notched an impressive .529 hitting percentage in the first set and raced out to a 10-4 lead before the Railsplitters could respond. A kill from freshman outside hitter Cole Campisano capped a 5-2 LMU run and got the Railsplitters within two at 11-9. However, it would be the closest LMU would get for the remainder of the set as the Lions built a 19-10 advantage. Back-to-back kills by sophomore middle/right side hitter Dawson Walker attempted to ignite a comeback but it wasn't nearly enough. A pair of Railsplitters serving errors gave Lindenwood the final two points of the set.
 
LMU had its best offensive performance of the day in the second set, totaling 15 kills on a .379 attack but the Railsplitters couldn't overcome an early deficit. Once again, the Lions jumped out to an early lead going up 7-2. Working its way back into the set, LMU got kills from Campisano and freshman right side hitter Justin Sharfenaker to make it 10-8. Trailing 16-9, the Railsplitters were not deterred and put together a 10-5 run to get back within two at 21-19 after a Sharfenaker kill, solo block by senior middle hitter Pedro Carvalho and a Lindenwood attack error. Down four set points at 24-20, LMU got another kill from Sharfenaker, an ace by Sharfenaker and a Titus kill to make it a one-point affair. However, a Lion block finished the set and put the Railsplitters in a 2-0 hole.
 
Limiting Lindenwood to a -0.067 attack percentage in the third set while hitting .296 and registering 13 kills, the Railsplitters extended the match. After taking a 4-2 lead, LMU found itself trailing 6-4 and 8-6 before a strong six-point run capped by consecutive kills from Titus gave the Railsplitters a four-point advantage at 12-8. A Sharfenaker kill followed by a Carvalho and Sharfenaker block put LMU up 17-12. Moments later, the Railsplitters pulled ahead 21-13 on a pair of Sharfenaker/Carvalho blocks, Titus kill and Carvalho kill. Three points in a row gave LMU a plethora of set points at 24-15 before a Lion serving error clinched the set at 25-17.
 
Much like the first set, Lindenwood was very efficient in the fourth compiling 13 kills on a .458 attack percentage. A tight start to the set led to an 8-8 tie after the first 16 points before the Lions went ahead 11-8. Both teams would exchange blows for the next 10 points with a Campisano kill keeping the Railsplitters within two at 16-14. From there, Lindenwood put together a 5-1 run to take a 21-15 lead. A Lion service error and kills from Sharfenaker and Titus would be the only points LMU would win the rest of the way as Lindenwood clamped down to seal the match.
 
For the second-straight match Sharfenaker earned 13 kills while Campisano claimed eight. Carvalho made a team-high six blocks and Sharfenaker recorded four blocks and a career-high seven digs. Freshman libero Attia Soliman also totaled seven digs and junior setter AJ Risavy assisted on 31 of the Railsplitters' 47 kills.
 
Diego Negron led the Lions with 14 kills, a match-high five aces, three blocks and six digs. Lindenwood also got 11 kills and six blocks from A.J. Lewis and nine kills from Phil Swartz. The Lions' Cal Werths had a match-high seven blocks and Kyle Deutschmann earned 11 digs while Connor Sheehan handed out 38 assists.
 
Up Next…
LMU hits the road once again next week, beginning a stretch of five matches away from Harrogate in the month of February Tuesday night at Tusculum. First serve from Greenville, Tennessee, is slated for 7 p.m. The Railsplitters will then travel to King University the following Tuesday, Feb. 9.
 
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 2021 season.