LYNCHBURG, Va. – After over 13 months away from the beach courts, the Lincoln Memorial University beach volleyball team returned to competition Saturday afternoon in Lynchburg, Virginia. Kicking off their condensed 2021 season, the Lady Railsplitters split a pair of matches at the Liberty University Beach NCAA Duals with a straight-set sweep of Spartanburg Methodist College and a narrow 3-2 setback to Stevenson University.  
 
The senior/freshman duo of Yileen Ng He and Kristen Moehring and freshman/sophomore pairing of Karlie Dennard and Sierrah Lemons went undefeated on the day with wins in both matches.
 
With convincing wins at all five flights in the season opener versus the Pioneers, LMU's No. 1 tandem of junior Gabriela Abreu and senior Sarah Jones earned a 21-9, 21-15 victory over Spartanburg Methodist's Mackenzie Macintosh and Meghan Sharpenberg. Ng He and Moehring allowed only 20 points in two sets (21-5, 21-15) at the No. 2 flight and Dennard and Lemons were also impressive at the No. 5 flight with a 21-9, 21-13 triumph. Junior Emily Walter teamed up with freshman Olivia Snyder for a 21-15, 21-10 win at No. 3 over the Pioneers' Taylor Reilly and Chidera Wilson, while junior Caitlin Bethell and freshman Finley Sims bested KayDee Runion and Tinsley Blackwell of Spartanburg Methodist at the No. 4 flight by set scores of 21-14 and 21-11.
 
Against the Mustangs of Stevenson, the Lady Railsplitters rebounded from a 2-0 match deficit with a 21-17, 21-15 win by Dennard and Lemons at the No. 5 flight. Ng He and Moehring then knotted up the match at 2-2 with a 21-18, 21-16 victory over the Mustangs' Rileigh Kimball and Ellie Cast at the No. 2 spot, setting up the decisive point at the No. 1 flight. After Abreu and Jones won set one, 21-19, Emily Pellini and Piper Connors of Stevenson took set two, 21-14, before clinching the match with a 15-11 third set.
 
Up Next…
LMU returns to the sand in Lynchburg Sunday, facing host Liberty at 11 a.m. before taking on the Mustangs for the second time of the weekend at 1 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 beach volleyball.