HARROGATE, Tenn. — The 17th-ranked Lincoln Memorial University men’s volleyball team posted a 3-0 win over visiting Tusculum University Wednesday night at Mary Mars Gymnasium in the IVA opener for both teams.
LMU won the match by scores of 25-12, 25-19 and 25-17 to improve to 9-1 overall and 1-0 in the IVA.
The Railsplitters jumped out to an 8-2 run and later posted a 6-1 spurt to race out to a 16-4 lead en route to a 25-12 decision in the opening set. LMU rattled off seven kills in the frame, including three apiece by Johan Negron and Griffin Wheatley. LMU hit .286 while limiting Tusculum to a minus-.160 attack percentage.
In the second set, trailing 7-5, Tusculum went on a 3-0 run thanks to kills from Riley Wisniakowski, Deklan Wingo and Morgan Makovec as the Pioneers led for the first time in the match 8-7. LMU responded with 9-2 run including service aces from Axel Baars and Negron as the Railsplitters led 16-10. Lincoln Memorial extended the lead out to 19-12. TU got back-to-back kills from Wingo to trim the deficit to 19-14. TU would fend off three set points before a service error gave LMU a 25-19 decision. LMU posted a .400 hitting percentage in the set with 11 kills on 25 attempts with just one error. Tusculum got back into the positive in attacks as the Pioneers recorded 15 kills on 30 attempts with four errors for a .367 hitting percentage.
Tusculum led 5-3 and later had a 10-9 advantage in the third set. LMU answered with a 10-4 run to move out to a 19-14 lead. That spurt included five unanswered points by the Splitters. LMU closed out the set with a 6-3 run including a kill from Matthew Gentry on match point to claim the set 25-17.
Negron led LMU with his 10 kills, five digs and two blocks as the Railsplitters finished the match hitting .400 to go along with their eight blocks and five aces. Setter John Luers dished out 26 assists and posted eight digs.
Wingo paced the Pioneers with his match-high 17 kills and tallied a .364 hitting percentage to go along with three blocks. Morgan Makovec added five kills and three blocks. Wisniakowski recorded 24 assists for the Pioneers, while the duo of Taylor West and Kevin Blankenship shared the team-lead with six digs apiece.
Of Tusculum’s 12 matches this season, six of them have been against nationally-ranked opposition as the Pioneers have faced the 17th-toughest schedule in the country and toughest amongst NCAA Division I Independent programs.
The Pioneers (4-8, 0-1 IVA) return home this Saturday night when the Pioneers host Erskine College for a 6 p.m. non-conference battle at Pioneer Arena.
