Nashville, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial women's volleyball team completed a split performance on Saturday at the 6th annual Ray Thrasher Classic held at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee, securing a sweep against Christian Brothers University before falling to the University of Alabama-Huntsville.
In their dominant opening performance against Christian Brothers, the Railsplitters secured a 3 to 0 victory with frame scores of 25 to 16, 25 to 15, and 25 to 18. The opening set saw Lincoln Memorial break away midway through behind standard execution from setters Jana Petkovic and Lauren Pickett, who repeatedly set up outside hitters Kaytlin Johnson and Jazmine Starks for key kills. Despite late service errors from both squads, a final kill by Johnson off a Petkovic set capped the first frame at 25 to 16.
Lincoln Memorial maintained momentum in the second frame, opening up a commanding 15 to 4 cushion courtesy of a long serving run by Lauren Jacob that featured a service ace and multiple opponent attack errors. Active blocking at the net by Georgia Dobson, Finley Sparks, and Aaliyah Rodgers thwarted the opposing offensive attempts, while clean distribution from Pickett allowed Starks and Rodgers to score at will. A late surge by Christian Brothers was cut short when Rodgers delivered a set-ending kill off a Pickett assist to close the frame at 25 to 15.
The third set proved to be a closer contest early as Christian Brothers used service aces to stay competitive. Lincoln Memorial responded with steady defensive play, utilizing key blocks from Dobson and Starks alongside crucial late-set kills from Johnson to pull ahead. Pickett closed out the match by setting up Starks for the final kill to take the set 25 to 18 and seal the 3 to 0 match sweep.
Later in the day, the Railsplitters faced a tough second matchup against Alabama-Huntsville, falling 3 to 0 in hard-fought sets of 25 to 21, 25 to 21, and 25 to 23. In the opening frame, Lincoln Memorial held a late 19 to 18 advantage following strong net play from Laney Inman and sets from Petkovic, but Alabama-Huntsville closed on a 7 to 2 run to capture the set.
The second set featured tight back-and-forth action, with Lincoln Memorial using service aces from Pickett and balanced hitting from Starks and Dobson to stay within reach. Alabama-Huntsville gained the upper hand late in the set to take the frame 25 to 21.
Lincoln Memorial bolted out to an early 5 to 0 lead in the final frame behind offensive production from Milyn Minor and Inman. Alabama-Huntsville chipped away at the margin and eventually leveled the score at 19 all before using a pair of crucial service aces to regain control. Although Starks delivered a late kill to keep Lincoln Memorial alive, the Chargers ended the match with a final strike, giving Alabama-Huntsville a 25 to 23 set victory and a 3 to 0 match sweep over the Railsplitters.
Lincoln Memorial now turns its attention to in-conference opponent Tusculum, for its home opener Sept. 5.
