Harrogate, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial women's volleyball team secured its fourth consecutive victory on Friday, October 30, defeating the visiting Wingate Bulldogs in four sets by scores of 25-17, 22-25, 25-21, and 26-24. With the home win, Lincoln Memorial earned a 3-1 victory to split the regular season series 1-1 after Wingate took the initial matchup 3-0 in September.
Lincoln Memorial set the tone early in the opening set with balanced attacking and defensive pressure. After trading points early on, the hosts pulled ahead thanks to key kills from Kaytlin Johnson and Finley Sparks, alongside service aces from Lauren Pickett. Johnson led the offensive charge down the stretch, connecting on multiple assists from Pickett and Jana Petkovic. Lincoln Memorial closed out the dominant 25-17 first-set victory with consecutive kills from Sparks and Johnson.
Wingate responded in the second set, capitalizing on early host errors to build a lead. Lincoln Memorial fought back with key plays, including consecutive service aces from Petkovic and strong attacking from Sarah Robbins, Georgia Dobson, and Jazmine Starks. Despite a late rally from the home squad that tied the set at 20-20, Wingate mounted a late run to capture the set 22-25 and even the match.
The third set proved to be a battle of attrition before Lincoln Memorial took control late. The visitors built an early advantage, but Lincoln Memorial answered with offensive contributions from Laney Inman, Johnson, and Sparks. Trailing midway through the frame, the home team executed a crucial five-point run highlighted by a block from Dobson and Sparks, kills from Inman, and a service ace by Johnson to pull ahead 21-17. Lincoln Memorial sealed the 25-21 set win when a visiting attack error was forced by a joint block from Robbins and Starks.
The fourth set featured dramatic back-and-forth action as Lincoln Memorial looked to finish the match. Lincoln Memorial opened up a four-point cushion behind consecutive service aces from Pickett to push the score to 22-19. Wingate rallied with three straight points to tie the set at 24-24, but Lincoln Memorial stood firm under pressure. Starks delivered a clutch kill off a set from Johnson to bring up match point, and Johnson capped off the night with a final match-winning kill from Pickett to wrap up the 26-24 set victory and seal the 3-1 match win for Lincoln Memorial.
