Nashville, TN — The Lincoln Memorial women's volleyball team pulled off a thrilling five-set victory against the hosting Trevecca Nazarene Trojans at the sixth annual Ray Thrasher Classic tournament in Nashville, Tennessee on Friday.
Lincoln Memorial established an early advantage by capturing the opening set 25-22. Kaytlin Johnson paced the offense with multiple timely kills fed by Jana Petkovic, while Georgia Dobson and Finley Sparks added critical points down the stretch. Despite a late rally by Trevecca Nazarene, the Railsplitters held firm to secure the frame on a set-ending kill by Sparks.
The second set featured another tightly contested battle, but Lincoln Memorial prevailed by an identical 25-22 margin to take a commanding two-set lead. Johnson and Sparks once again generated offense off sets from Lauren Pickett and Jana Petkovic, counteracting strong play at the net by the Trojans. After Trevecca Nazarene tied the set late, the Railsplitters surged ahead behind clutch kills from Johnson to seal the set.
The Trojans responded with high intensity in the third set, taking control early behind a dominant service and attacking performance to claim a 25-12 victory. Carrying that momentum into the fourth frame, Trevecca Nazarene commanded the court with a 25-13 set win to force a decisive fifth set. Lincoln Memorial attempted to push back with kills from Laney Inman and Sparks, but the Trojans capitalized on offensive errors to tie the match at two sets apiece.
In a dramatic final frame, Lincoln Memorial outlasted Trevecca Nazarene 15-13 to seal the overall match victory three sets to two. Both teams traded leads early in the race to fifteen, with Starks and Inman establishing a strong defensive presence at the net for the Railsplitters. Trailing late in the set, Lincoln Memorial rallied behind key kills from Sparks and Inman, ending the match on a decisive point assisted by Dobson to secure the tournament victory.
Lincoln Memorial will look to parlay its momentum into the weekend slate, taking on Christian Brothers and Alabama-Huntsville Saturday at 11 AM and 4 PM respectively.
