HARROGATE, TN – Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball returns to Mary Mars Gym on Saturday afternoon for its final regular-season match, hosting Tusculum University at 2 p.m. on Senior Day.
Saturday's match will serve as a celebration of LMU's Senior Day class. The Railsplitters will honor Sam Higdon, Zadyn Labreche, Axel van Baars, Johan Negron, Jakub Wiaderny, and Cal Shrimplin. That group has helped lead Lincoln Memorial through another strong season and will be recognized before the first serve.
The Railsplitters enter the weekend at 14-6 overall and riding a seven-match winning streak after sweeping Lees-McRae last Saturday. LMU has been strong on both sides of the net throughout the season, totaling 846 kills while hitting .273 as a team and holding opponents to a .187 hitting percentage. The Railsplitters are averaging 12.3 kills, 11.2 assists, 9.8 digs, and 2.0 blocks per set heading into the regular-season finale.
Axel van Baars has paced the LMU attack this season with 166 kills, 20 service aces, and 102 digs, while Johan Negron has added 137 kills, and Relja Milosavljevic is hitting a team-best .388 with 94 kills. Inbar Shachar has directed the offense with 430 assists, and Zachary Zian leads the team with 122 digs. At the net, Oisin Walsh has been a major presence with 54 total blocks.
Tusculum comes to Harrogate with a 14-8 overall record and has won two straight matches, including a 3-0 victory over Newberry on April 7. The Pioneers are hitting .260 as a team and average 11.4 kills per set, while also presenting a strong blocking presence at 2.69 blocks per set. Tusculum has also been effective from the service line this season with 105 aces.
Saturday's match will be the second meeting between the two programs this season. Earlier this year, LMU rallied from two sets down to defeat Tusculum 3-2 in Greeneville on March 3. The Railsplitters dropped the first two sets before storming back to win the final three behind 23 kills from van Baars, 18 from Zadyn Labreche, and 67 assists from Shachar. LMU hit .253 in the win while holding Tusculum to a .180 mark.
Lincoln Memorial has also historically held the upper hand in the matchup, winning all 14 meetings. The most recent contest marked the closest matchup in the series this season, but the Railsplitters still extended their winning streak against the Pioneers and will look to carry that momentum into postseason play.
Following Saturday's contest, LMU will turn its attention to the IVA Tournament, set for Thursday through Saturday, April 16-18, at Barry University in Miami.
