Harrogate, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial women's volleyball team secured a hard-fought 3-1 victory at home against the Carson-Newman Eagles on Tuesday evening, energized by a raucous crowd packed into the gymnasium for LMU Spirit Night. The Railsplitters came out firing in the opening frame, capitalizing on early attacking errors by the Eagles and solid defensive blocks from
Jazmine Starks,
Laney Inman, and
Kaytlin Johnson to build an early cushion.
Lauren Pickett steered the offense effectively, distributing key assists to Inman and
Georgia Dobson while Johnson chipped in a service ace. Although the Eagles tried to mount a late rally behind a string of successful attacks, Lincoln Memorial maintained control to comfortably secure a 25-17 win in the first set.
Lincoln Memorial kept the momentum rolling into the second frame, opening with an early kill by Inman and an ace from Johnson to set the tone. The set remained tightly contested as Lauren Jacob and Pickett orchestrated the offense, feeding Dobson, Starks, and Johnson for crucial kills to fend off the Eagles. Despite a brief surge by Carson-Newman late in the frame, the Railsplitters capitalized on opponent errors and closed out the action with sharp execution to claim a 25-19 victory, building a commanding 2-0 match lead. Following the conclusion of the second set, an unexpected power outage struck the facility, causing a momentary lapse in action and a brief delay before play could resume.
Capitalizing on the stoppage, the Eagles regrouped and managed to seize control of the third set, taking advantage of early Railsplitter miscues and utilizing strong net play to hand Lincoln Memorial a 25-17 setback. However, the Railsplitters quickly rebounded in the fourth set, displaying incredible resilience down the stretch. Pickett, Starks, Johnson, and Finley Sparks anchored a balanced attack, while Dobson added critical points to keep the score close against a persistent Carson-Newman squad. Ultimately, the Railsplitters dug deep to capture a tense 25-22 finish in the fourth frame, sealing the hard-earned 3-1 match victory.
