LYNCHBURG, Va. – Continuing its season-opening weekend of play, the Lincoln Memorial University beach volleyball team dropped a pair of decisions Saturday at the LMIC Beach Courts in Lynchburg, Virginia. Taking on host Liberty University, the Lady Railsplitters nearly gained two match wins but fell 4-1 before being narrowly defeated 3-2 by Stevenson University for the second consecutive day.
 
LMU (1-3) gained a doubles win at the No. 3 flight against the Flames (7-3) and collected victories at the top and fifth flights in the weekend finale versus the Mustangs (2-2).
 
The junior/freshman tandem of Emily Walter and Olivia Snyder picked up a 21-17, 21-16 triumph over Liberty's Janae Baker and Payton Carter, and junior Caitlin Bethell and freshman Finley Sims took the Flames' Riley Smith and Rylee Urban to a decisive third set at the No. 4 flight. After the first set was decided at 21-10 in favor of the hosts, Bethell and Sims won set two, 21-14. However, Smith and Urban prevailed in the third set with an 18-16 clincher. Despite a 21-15 first set loss at the No. 1 flight, junior Gabriela Abreu and senior Sarah Jones fought back and nearly took the second set (23-21).
 
Four points proved to be the difference in the second contest of the day as Stevenson's Olivia Simon and Abby Bruce squeaked out a 23-21, 28-26 win over Bethell and Sims at the No. 4 flight with things knotted up at two matches apiece. Making their beach debuts, freshmen Haley Brown and Katie Cardenas earned a 21-17, 21-18 victory at the No. 5 flight before Abreu and Jones tied the score at 2-2 with a 21-16, 21-16 defeat of the Mustangs' Emily Pellini and Piper Connors. Abreu and Jones' win avenged their Saturday three-set loss to Pellini and Connors.
 
Up Next…
The Lady Railsplitters return to action in the sand next weekend at the Strack Beach Volleyball Courts in LaGrange, Georgia, where LMU will face the University of Mobile and host LaGrange College Friday, April 23 before taking on Mobile once again on Saturday, April 24, in addition to Huntingdon College.  
 
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.