Harrogate, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial women's volleyball team traveled to Wise, Virginia to take on the UVA-Wise Cavaliers, seeking a regular season sweep after defeating the Cavaliers at home on Sept. 18. Lincoln Memorial ultimately fell in a five-set marathon, dropping the match by set scores of 25-21, 20-25, 25-18, 28-30, and 11-15.
Lincoln Memorial established early momentum in the opening set behind steady play at the net. Sarah Robbins delivered a kill to answer an early Cavaliers point, and Kaytlin Johnson followed with another attack to keep the set level. Later in the frame, Georgia Dobson sparked a run with a kill, while Lauren Pickett and Jazmine Starks combined for a block to give the Railsplitters an 8-8 tie. Pickett then set up consecutive kills for Robbins and Johnson to build an 12-9 lead. Eliza Hicks contributed a service ace out of a media timeout to keep Lincoln Memorial ahead 16-13. After the Cavaliers mounted a late comeback to pull even, Sparks delivered a clutch kill to reclaim the lead at 17-17, and Dobson added two late kills down the stretch. Match point arrived on a Dobson kill off a set from Pickett, and Johnson sealed the 25-21 opening set victory with a kill to put the Railsplitters up one set to none.
The Cavaliers responded in the second set, utilizing strong net defense to keep Lincoln Memorial at bay. Johnson opened the scoring with a kill, but the Cavaliers quickly answered with a block solo and effective attack execution. Robbins earned a block solo to keep the score tied early at 3-3, and Dobson added a kill off an assist from Pickett to remain competitive. Minor entered the action and tallied a kill to bring the score to 16-16, but the Cavaliers responded with a decisive late run to take a 23-19 lead. Annabelle Clair recorded a late kill to cut into the deficit, but the Cavaliers closed out the set 25-20 on a block assist to equalize the match.
Lincoln Memorial regained control in the third set with efficient attacking and strong presence at the net. Mylin Minor collected multiple early kills, while Pickett added back-to-back kills, including one off an assist from Johnson, forcing a Cavaliers timeout at 11-7. Lincoln Memorial expanded its lead as Johnson notched consecutive kills assisted by Lauren Jacob. Robbins added two key kills late in the set to maintain a comfortable margin. Despite a late four-point surge by the Cavaliers at match point, Robbins delivered the set-winning kill off an assist from Pickett to secure the 25-18 win and give the Railsplitters a 2-1 set lead.
The fourth set turned into an extended battle that saw both sides trade momentum through 30 points. Johnson and Clair kept Lincoln Memorial close early before Sparks added a kill to make it 6-4. A service ace by Hicks and a kill from Minor helped the Railsplitters build a late 17-14 cushion. However, the Cavaliers fought back with three straight points to level the score at 18-18. Clair recorded a critical solo block to put Lincoln Memorial up 21-21, and Robbins delivered a kill to earn match point at 23-22. The two teams battled through multiple tie scores past the standard 25-point mark, with Johnson recording key kills at 25-24 and 28-28. The Cavaliers ultimately held on to take the grueling fourth set 30-28 and force a decisive fifth set.
In the final set, Lincoln Memorial captured early points on kills by Johnson and Clair, while Dobson added a attack to keep the Railsplitters close at 3-2. The Cavaliers then took control with a five-point run to build a 9-4 advantage. Inman entered the match and delivered a kill off an assist from Jana Petkovic to break the run, while Inman and Clair teamed up for a block assist to pull Lincoln Memorial within 12-7. Pickett sparked a late three-point run with two defensive force errors and a block assist alongside Clair and Robbins to narrow the score to 14-11, but a final service error ended the comeback, giving the Cavaliers the 15-11 set win and the match victory.
