Harrogate, Tenn.----The Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters defeated visiting Wingate University 3-2 in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Friday night. The Railsplitters won by scores 18-25, 25-19, 25-22, 18-25 and 15-11 to improve to 20-4 overall and 14-2 in the SAC. Wingate falls to 22-4 overall and 14-3 in the conference. The victory moves LMU into first place in the league standings.

Samantha Cash had 12 kills and 11 digs to lead the LMU attack, while Kiera Holland added 11 kills and seven digs. Liz Brock contributed eight kills, 11 digs and four blocks, while Tone Gill had seven kills and three blocks. Abby Cash had 39 assists and 11 digs, while Erica Whiteaker collected 21 digs.

Sophomore outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Orlando, Fla.) piled up a career-high 26 kills, adding 10 digs and three blocks to lead the Wingate attack. Freshman middle blocker Lynnlee Mather (McDonough, Ga.) had 11 kills and five blocks, while senior right-side hitter Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) had nine kills, nine digs and three blocks. Freshman setter Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) handed out 37 assists to go along with 13 digs, while freshman Treslyn Ortiz (Texas City, Texas) picked up 20 digs.

"Obviously this was a very important match in the conference standings and we came up a little short tonight," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We fought hard and played with some great effort and we did some really good things at times, but on their home court they were a little better than us at a few key moments in the match. There are still many important matches left in conference play for us and the rest of the teams, so we will need to bounce back from this and play well tomorrow at Carson-Newman."

LMU jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set on a block from Gill, but an Attaway kill and Lincoln Memorial error gave the 'Dogs a 6-5 advantage. Wingate added an 8-0 run to take a 14-7 lead. Mather had a kill and two blocks in the spurt, while Saehler added a kill and an ace. A Mather kill helped the Bulldogs push the lead to eight, but a Samantha Cash kill got LMU within five at 22-17. Attaway answered with a kill, while an ace from Ortiz made it 24-17. Saehler ended the set with a kill.

Lincoln Memorial used an 11-0 run in the second set to take a 13-5 lead, capped by a Samantha Cash ace. A pair of Mather kills and an Attaway ace got the 'Dogs within one, but back-to-back kills from Samantha Cash made it 21-16. An Attaway kill got Wingate within four, but a Holland kill made it 24-18. Abby Cash ended the set with a kill.

A kill and an ace from Saehler gave Wingate a 10-5 lead in set three, while a kill and an ace from Attaway pushed the lead to seven. A pair of Gill kills helped LMU tie it at 15, but kills from Attaway and Saehler gave the bulldogs a 19-18 advantage. An Abby Cash kill and Wingate error gave LMU a 23-21 lead, while a Holland kill made it 24-21. Holland ended the frame with a kill.

A pair of Mather kills and two LMU errors gave Wingate a 10-6 lead in set three. A Holland kill tied it at 11, but kills from Alles and Attaway, along with a Saehler block put the Bulldogs on top 15-11. LMU got back within three, but two more Attaway kills made it 18-13. A Holland kill got the Railsplitters within four at 20-16, but a Taylor Williams (Keedysville, Md.) kill and LMU error made it 23-18. Alles followed with a kill to make it 24-18, while an Attaway kill ended the frame.

A Saehler ace and Attaway kill gave Wingate a 5-3 lead in set five, but LMU responded with a 4-0 run, taking a 7-5 advantage on back-to-back Holland kills. Attaway got Wingate within one with a kill, but Lincoln Memorial scored the next five points, taking a 12-6 lead on a block from Abby Cash. A Brock kill and Wingate error made it 14-9, while a block from Gill and Brock ended the match.

Lincoln Memorial hit .166 on the night, with 48 kills and 23 errors in 151 attacks. Wingate had 60 kills and 32 errors in 181 attacks, hitting .155. Mather's five blocks were a match high, while Attaway, Saehler and Ortiz collected three aces apiece.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, traveling to Carson-Newman for a 5 p.m. start.