HARROGATE, Tenn. – For the first time in over 15 months the Lincoln Memorial University women's volleyball team was back in action against outside competition Sunday afternoon inside historic Mary E. Mars Gymnasium. The Lady Railsplitters played their first match in 467 days, began their unique 2020-21 campaign and started the coach Alison Williams era with a five-set affair against Catawba College.
 
Despite capturing the first two sets, LMU was unable to seal the deal and fell 3-2 to an Indian squad who began their season Saturday night. Laying down 51 kills and totaling 10 service aces, the Lady Railsplitters (0-1, 0-1 SAC) could not slow down Catawba in the final three sets. The visiting Indians (1-1, 1-1 SAC) notched 57 kills across the five sets and posted 10 blocks as a team, claiming 36 of their kills in sets three-five.
 
LMU took control of the match early by winning the first four points and cruised to a 25-17 opening set win, getting 12 kills in the process. Catawba proved to be much more competitive in the second set but the Lady Railsplitters maintained their momentum and went ahead 18-12 on a kill by freshman outside/opposite hitter Kristen Moehring. An Indian attack error followed by a block from Moehring and senior middle blocker Yileen Ng He put LMU up 23-15. Proving it would not go away quietly, Catawba made a strong push at the end of the second set with an impressive 7-1 run to get within two at 24-22. However, another Indian attack error ended the set and gave the Lady Railsplitters a commanding two-set lead.
 
Despite recording 13 kills in the second set, LMU hit at just a .067 clip with nine attack errors.
 
The third set saw 30 combined kills with Catawba accounting for 16 and the Lady Railsplitters 14 behind a .149 attack. Both teams went back and forth as the third set had nine lead changes and 15 ties. Three consecutive LMU points gave the home team a 21-20 lead and the Lady Railsplitters looked poised to run away with the match, but the Indians had much different plans. Catawba benefited from an LMU serving error and a kill followed by a block gave the lead back to the Indians at 23-21. Back-to-back kills from freshman middle blocker Richlyn Ross and Moehring knotted things up at 24 but a kill by Catawba's Ashley Johnson and a block by the Indians' Allison Bryant and Raytchelle Miranda gave new life to the away team.
 
Riding high, Catawba hit .393 in the fourth set with 14 kills and limited the Lady Railsplitters to six kills and a .000 attack percentage. The Indians were dominant in the stanza and evened up the match at 2-2 with a lopsided 25-11 set triumph fueled by a 6-0 run early to pull ahead 10-3. LMU won consecutive points just twice in the set.
 
With all the momentum in its favor, Catawba committed just three attack errors in the decisive fifth set as both teams plastered six kills. The Lady Railsplitters took 3-2 and 4-3 leads in the deciding set with kills from junior opposite Gabriela Abreu and Moehring but three-straight Indian points gave Catawba a 6-4 lead. Abreu kills evened things at eight and nine-all, however, a 5-0 Indian run with just one kill all but clinched the match for Catawba. LMU got one final point on an Indian ball handling error before a Lady Railsplitter serving error ended the match.
 
In her LMU debut after transferring to Harrogate in January of 2020 Abreu led the Lady Railsplitters with a 14-kill, 25-dig double-double. Freshman setter Finley Sims also registered a double-double in her first collegiate match with 18 assists and 10 digs, while Moehring finished with 11 kills and two total blocks. Freshman outside hitter Haley Brown accounted for 10 kills in her Blue and Gray debut as junior setter Emily Walter dished out a team-best 26 assists and senior libero Sarah Jones made 25 digs and served a trio of aces. Ng He also collected three aces and rose up for a team-high five total blocks.
 
Jade Brooks led Catawba with 15 kills and 15 digs, and the Indians got 13 kills and six total blocks from Johnson. Catawba's Bryant finished with 12 kills and Claire Kellum assisted on 41 of the Indians' kills, not to mention getting to 25 digs. Malia Carr made a match-high 30 digs for Catawba and Miranda had four total blocks.
 
Up Next…
LMU is back in action Friday evening at home versus Limestone, first serve from Mary Mars Gym is slated for 7 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 Lady Railsplitter volleyball throughout the 2020-21 season.