Lincoln College Women’s Volleyball drops road match at LBU

[October 19, 2018] 

The Lincoln College Women’s Volleyball team suffered their first defeat in over two weeks after dropping a road match at Lindenwood-Belleville University (NAIA) in four sets on Wednesday evening. The loss moved LC’s record to 14-11.

Lincoln got off to a slow start in set one, trailing most of the way to a 25-14 defeat. Much of the set’s outcome was determined by a run of 10 points in a row scored by one LBU server.

In set two, Lincoln improved their serve receive passing which resulted in a much more competitive set. The two teams battled their way to an 18-18 tie score, but, after a series of long rallies, LBU gained the upper hand and won the set 25-21.

Set three saw the Lady Lynx make several adjustments to their lineup which had positive effects. The new look helped LC open up an early five-point lead which they were able to maintain for most of the set. LBU mounted a comeback which narrowed Lincoln’s lead to just one point at 24-23, but a kill by outside hitter Mikayla Seibert (Mackinaw) ended the threat, giving Lincoln a 25-23 set win to extend the match.

The fourth set looked to be one that Lincoln had in hand after scoring three points in a row off of blocks to go up 18-14. However, after an LBU timeout, Lincoln was unable to sustain their momentum and eventually gave up the lead. LC fought hard to the end, but came up just short in a 25-23 loss which ended their bid to force a fifth set.

Lincoln Community High School grad Kaylyn Hoffert led LC in kills with 14 while junior right side Mattie Geise (Highland Park) had 12. Setter Emma Derry (Augusta) recorded a team-high 32 set assists, and sophomore libero Megan Gilliam led the defensive effort for Lincoln with 14 digs. Defensive specialists Melanie Murray (Chicago) and Faith McGinnes (Mackinaw) were also busy in this match. Murray tallied 11 digs on the night and McGinnes had 10.
 

Despite the loss, LC Coach Mark Tippett saw several positives in his team’s performance. “We got stuck in one rotation early in set one and that really shook our confidence,” said Tippett. “I was glad to see us quickly overcome that disastrous start and play much better the rest of the match. Lindenwood has a big front row with several strong hitters, and it took us a bit to get up to their speed, but I was pleased with how our players were able to raise their game to make it a competitive match.”

LC will have little time to dwell on the loss as they come right back with a home match on Thursday evening at 7:00 PM against St. Ambrose University. The teams will play a JV match at 5:00 PM.

[Mark Tippett
Lincoln College
Sports Information]