HARROGATE, Tenn. --- Johan Negron recorded 16 kills and a .652 hitting percentage to lead the Lincoln Memorial men's volleyball team to a 3-1 win over visiting Tusculum Saturday afternoon at Mary Mars Gym.
The Railsplitters (14-6) won the match by scores of 26-24, 30-28, 23-25, 25-18 to record their seventh consecutive victory and complete the season-sweep over the Pioneers (14-9, 2-4 IVA) in the regular season finale for both teams.
Negron posted 16 kills in his 23 total attacks which included one error to go along with a pair of service aces and four digs.
LMU's Axel Van Baars posted a dozen kills, while Oisin Walsh tallied 10 kills and six digs as the Railsplitters finished the match hitting .333. LMU setter Inbar Shachar had a match-high 41 assists, while Relja Milosavljevic accounted for 11 digs and three blocks.
Tusculum's Morgan Makovec led the visitors with 10 kills, nine digs and three service aces. Donovan Nye added nine kills while setter Riley Wisniakowski distributed 19 assists and an ace.
In the opening set, Tusculum used a 4-1 run to take a 10-7 lead following a block by Reef Mathis. With TU up 11-8, the Splitters answered with a 5-1 run to take a 13-12 lead. The lead went back and forth before LMU went on a 4-1 run to take a 24-21 lead. Tusculum fought off three set points with a 3-0 run to tie the score at 24-24 following a kill by Mathis. But back-to-back points from LMU including a solo block by Milosavljevic on set point gave the opening frame to the Railsplitters, 26-24.
The second set saw LMU jump out to an early lead at 10-6 thanks to a Negron kill. But TU went on a 6-1 spurt thanks to a kill and ace by Makovec to go up 12-11. The lead exchanged hands several times before TU led 24-22 after three straight points by the Pioneers. But a kill from Negron and a TU hitting error tied the score at 24-24. LMU fought off five set points down the stretch before Negron notched an ace on set point as the Railsplitters prevailed 30-28.
Tusculum bounced back with a 25-23 win in the fourth and used a 6-2 run at the end to send the match to a fourth set.
But in the fourth with the score tied 13-13, LMU scored seven straight points to take a 20-13 lead and would hold on for the 25-18 win to end the match.
Tusculum will begin its preparations for next week's IVA Tournament (Apr. 16-18), which will be held at Miami Shores, Florida.
