SALISBURY, N.C. – A highly competitive 3-2 duel with South Atlantic Conference Beach Challenge host Catawba College Saturday evening brought an end to the Lincoln Memorial University beach volleyball team's condensed 2021 season. Claiming victories at the top and fourth flights of the nightcap, the Lady Railsplitters (3-6) were edged by a lone pair against the host Indians (9-9) after dropping a 5-0 decision to Carson-Newman University to begin the day.
 
Junior Gabriela Abreu teamed up with freshman Kristen Moehring to score LMU's final doubles win of the year, capping the Lady Railsplitters' battle at Catawba with a 22-20, 21-11 win over the Indians' Jade Brooks and Jasmine Wooten at the No. 1 flight. The two squads split the first two matches as the freshmen duo of Haley Brown and Katie Cardenas took down Catawba's Ashley Johnson and Gabrielle Kuzma 24-22, 21-19 at the No. 4 flight before Allison Bryant and Payton Medich outlasted the senior tandem of Yileen Ng He and Sarah Jones in three sets at the No. 2 spot. Ng He and Jones captured the opening set, 22-20, but faltered 15-8 in the deciding third set.
 
After the Indians pulled ahead 2-1 with a convincing straight-set triumph at the No. 5 flight, Catawba clinched the contest with another two-set win at the third flight.
 
Despite extremely close matches at the second and fourth flights, the Lady Railsplitters could not score a match victory against the Eagles (7-11). Ng He and Moehring nearly knocked off Carson-Newman's Abby Streuwing and Sierra Still in a 22-20, 21-19 affair at the second flight and Brown and Cardenas pushed the Eagles' Lindsey Geurin and Joy Rhodes to a decisive third set at the No. 4 spot. The freshmen pair came just two points shy in a 25-23 first set and took a dominant 21-10 second set before set three went Carson-Newman's way at 20-18.
 
The Eagles picked up a straight-set win at the No. 5 flight to clinch things and notched two-set victories at the top and third flights as well.
 
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