GAFFNEY, S.C. – Fittingly on Senior day, senior Vanessa Blas (Concord, N.C.) rocketed a game-high 19 kills while senior Bailey Carpenter (Lawrenceville, Ga.) added 29 digs to lead the Limestone University women's volleyball team to its third straight win with a five-set decision over Lincoln Memorial University.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Limestone 3, Lincoln Memorial 2
Set Scores: 25-15, 25-18, 20-25, 24-26, 15-10
Records: Limestone (10-11, 7-9), Lincoln Memorial (8-18, 4-12)
Location: Timken Center
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Blas finished with a .312 attack percentage on 19 kills while to go with eight digs
• A day after surpassing 1,000 career digs, Carpenter posted 29 digs, five assists, and three aces
• Freshman Paige Gardella (Sugar Grove, Ill.) logged a double-double with 31 assists and 12 digs
• Freshman Josie Curran (Westerville, Ohio) tallied 18 kills, seven digs, and six block assists
• Junior Abbey Baker (York, S.C.) added 19 assists and seven digs on the afternoon
• Senior Madysen Williams (Antioch, Tenn.) chipped in 14 digs and seven kills
• Senior Madeline Yeager (Sacramento, Calif.) recorded six assisted blocks and three kills
• Senior Madyson Lousignont (Las Vegas, Nev.) had four total blocks, three aces, and three kills
• Senior Calleen Soper (Morris, Ill.) registered four kills, three digs, and three blocks
• Senior Sydney Bibby (Cumming, Ga.) rounded out the day with four kills, two aces, and two digs
• Limestone and Lincoln Memorial both finished with 12 total team blocks on the afternoon
• The Saints hit .162 as a team while the Railsplitters hit .115
• The Blue and Gold jumped to a 2-0 lead before winning its first five-set match of the season

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Set
 
Despite three kills from Blas and one from Soper, Lincoln Memorial grabbed a 7-6 lead in the early going before attacks by Bibby and Curran sparked a 3-0 spurt to put the Saints up 9-7. The Railsplitters used a 3-0 run of their own to regain the edge, 10-9, but Limestone rallied behind a 9-1 stretch to take control.
 
Blas tallied a pair of points during that span while Curran added a kill to stake the Blue and Gold to an 18-11 advantage. Lincoln Memorial closed the gap to five a few moments later, but two kills from Bibby and one each by Blas and Soper put the Saints at set point before Lousignont made it 1-0 with a service ace.
 
Second Set
 
Yeager started the scoring for Limestone in the second set, but the Railsplitters would double up the home team, 4-2, in the early stages. Limestone would rattle off four straight points, powered by two huge swings by Blas and a massive blow from Curran, but Lincoln Memorial answered to grab a 7-6 cushion.
 
Trailing 8-7 a couple of serves later, the Blue and Gold strung together another 4-0 run behind a big swing from Blas and a rare kill by Carpenter to make it 11-8. The Railsplitters would not go away as quietly in set two, however, as a 6-3 stretch would tie things up at 14-all at the midway point of the frame.
 
A massive blow from Curran would spark a 6-0 spurt before an ace by Bibby and another kill from Blas helped Limestone build up a 20-14 advantage. LMU gave it another go, looking to get back into the set behind a 4-2 run to trim the margin to 22-18, but the Saints scored the final three points for the 25-18 win.   
 
Third Set
 
Yeager again opened the scoring for the Saints in the third while attacks from Curran helped Limestone split the first six points of the frame. Lincoln Memorial would briefly take a 5-4 edge, but a kill and an ace from Lousignout and a hammer from Yeager highlighted a quick 3-0 jaunt to give Limestone a 7-5 margin.
 
The Railsplitters flipped the script in the third set as they countered with a 5-1 run to take control, despite Limestone getting a kill from Curran and another ace from Bibby to tie the stanza at 10. Tied at 11-all a couple plays later, Lincoln Memorial scored 13 of the next 20 points to pull out to a sizable 24-18 lead. Blas had back-to-back late kills, but it was not enough as LMU cut the match lead in half with a 25-20 win.
 
Fourth Set
 
After winning the first two sets convincingly, it did not look like Limestone would be messing around in the fourth set as a pair of attacks by Curran, a monstrous hammer from Blas, and a perfectly placed ace by Carpenter put the home team in front 6-3. Williams then added consecutive kills as the Saints pulled ahead, 10-6, but the Railsplitters would not back down as they used a 6-0 surge to take the lead, 12-10.
 
The set would teeter back-and-forth the next few points with Lincoln Memorial clinging to a 15-14 edge at the midway point, but the Saints stormed back with seven unanswered points. Curran had three kills during that surge while Carpenter dropped in two straight aces to put Limestone back in front, 21-15.
 
A kill from Blas seemed to end LMU's comeback bid as the Blue and Gold led 22-16, but the Railsplitters were not done fighting as they rallied behind a 7-0 run to take a 23-22 lead in the late stages. Limestone tied the set twice down the final stretch, but Lincoln Memorial tied the match at 2-all with a 26-24 decision.
 
Fifth Set
 
Not looking to squander a 2-0 match lead on Senior Day, the Saints raced out to a 4-0 lead in the final set as two kills by Blas bookended an ace from Williams. The two teams would trade the next seven points as LMU cut into the margin, 7-4, but Limestone would end that with another 4-0 run to make it an 11-4 advantage. Soper provided a big kill before Lousingnont delivered an ace to power the decisive stretch.
 
Lincoln Memorial was still not ready to go quietly as it responded with a 5-1 counterattack to make things interesting late, trimming the lead to 12-9. That was the closest things would get down the stretch, however, as a kill by Curran and a blast from Blas – her 19^th kill of the afternoon – sealed the 15-10 win.  
 
TURNING POINT
 
Limestone carried the momentum from yesterday's 3-0 sweep over Queens into today's match, taking the first two sets of the afternoon relatively easily. The Railsplitters grabbed the momentum with two straight set wins and forced a decisive fifth set The Saints would rebound nicely in the final set, however, jumping out to a big 11-4 lead before then holding off a late charge by LMU to collect their third consecutive win.  
 
NOTABLES
 

• Limestone played its third five-set match of the year – the other two had been on the road
• The Saints had won eight straight sets before Lincoln Memorial rallied to win sets three and four
• Limestone split the season series with the Railsplitters, avenging a 3-1 loss earlier this year
• The Blue and Gold are currently tied with Catawba for the eighth and final playoff spot
• The Saints wrapped up its 2021 home schedule, finishing 6-3 overall in the Timken Center
• Limestone recognized 10 seniors prior to today's match: Calleen Soper, Sydney Bibby, Morgan Hnatiuk, Vanessa Blas, Madyson Lousignont, Abbey Baker, Bailey Carpenter, Madeline Yeager, Catherine Hickey, and former player and current graduate assistant coach, Zaria Walker

 
UP NEXT
 
Limestone will bring the 2021 regular season to a close on the road next weekend as it travels to face two regionally ranked teams in crucial matchups. The Saints will look to continue their playoff push when they face Anderson University, who is currently tied for first in the SAC, on Friday, November 12, at 7 p.m.