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HARROGATE, Tenn. —  Playing a second home contest within 24 hours, the Lincoln Memorial University men’s volleyball program showed no signs of wear and tear as they captured a thrilling four-set victory over McKendree on Saturday afternoon.

The Bearcats (2-3) controlled most of the first set as they held onto a 20-16 lead, but the Railsplitters (4-0) rallied and rattled off four straight points, sealing a first set victory on a huge block from Kohl Kutsch and Matthew Gentry.

The second set went in favor of McKendree as they opened the set with a 9-2 run before extending their lead just moments later to 17-10. The Railsplitters pulled to within three points, but the Bearcats held onto the second set.

Lincoln Memorial came into the third swinging and connecting, going up 10-5 into a McKendree timeout. Both programs traded point until the Railsplitters held a four-point lead, 17-13. The Blue and Gray got to work quickly on offense as they bolted out to a 21-13 lead and held onto the lead for the remainder of the set winning, 25-17.

Needing just one more set to capture the win, the Railsplitters offense was clicking on all cylinders in the fourth as they opened up the set with an 8-3 lead. McKendree tried to dig into the Splitter lead, but the mighty Blue and Gray defense withheld any attempts as the Railsplitters went onto capture the fourth set, and match, 25-16.

The difference makers in the match were the Railsplitter defense and offense. The ability to block led the defense as the Railsplitters tallied 18 total team blocks while the Bearcats were only able to record four total team blocks. Lincoln Memorial’s offense continued their early season success as they out hit McKendree .316 to .212.

Freshman Cole Campisano tallied a new career-high in kills as he recorded 17 on the night while posting a .429 hitting percentage. Johansen Negron followed with nine kills while Kohl Kutsch posted a team-best .600 hitting percentage and . Matthew Gentry lead the Splitter defense with 11 total blocks, a new career-high for the Hudson, Ohio native.

Up Next

The Railsplitters welcome Erskine on Friday, February 4^th. First serve is slated for 7:00 p.m. inside Mary Mars Gymnasium.