HARROGATE, TENN. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team suffered a tough 3-1 loss on Friday night at No. 15 Lincoln Memorial University inside Mary Mars Gymnasium. With the win, the Railsplitters improve to 9-2 all-time against the Royals and 6-0 at home against Queens. Lincoln Memorial also holds the nation's second longest winning streak at home at 12.
 
Queens came out of the gates swinging jumping on the Railsplitters 4-1. Lincoln Memorial would rally back and take a 12-10 lead before Queens used another 4-1 run to grab the lead back. The opening set saw five lead changes and 10 ties as the two rivals battled it out. All tied 23-23, Queens capitalized on a kill by Ananias Hayes and a block assist from Hayes and JP Payne to grab the opening set 25-23. In the first set, Queens hit a team-best .263 with 10 kills and three service aces. The Royals defense held the scorching hot Railsplitters to a .043 mark with 10 kills and nine attack errors.
 
The second set saw the Royals fall slightly behind early, but kept it within striking distance at three. However, the Railsplitters would go on a 9-3 run and open their lead to 19-10. Lincoln Memorial would close the second on a four-point rally and win the set 25-14 to get back on track. The Railsplitters managed to minimize the errors in the second and hit .375 with 14 kills. The errors mounted for the Royals in the second committing five attack errors and six service errors.
 
The Royals made some adjustments after the second and opened the third set tightly contested with the Railsplitters as neither team led by more than three. Trailing 12-10, Queens saw the Railsplitters go on a four-point swing and extend their lead to 16-10. The Royals would try to rally at multiple points, but the deficit was too much and Lincoln Memorial took the third set 25-18. Queens played a much better set hitting .259 with 12 kills, but the Railsplitters countered with a crazy .455 hitting percentage and 12 kills.
 
Looking to win their third straight set, the Railsplitters used a 7-2 surge to open the lead to 16-10. Both teams would briefly exchange points back-and-forth before Lincoln Memorial closed on a 6-1 run to win 25-16. The Railsplitters would hit a game-high .579 with 13 kills while the Royals hit .211 with nine kills. In the final three sets, Lincoln Memorial hit .539 while averaging 13 kills.
 
Daniel Leitao led the Royals with 12 kills and a .304 hitting percentage. Ananias Hayes and Jack Brinkman would finish with seven kills and six kills, respectively. Stirling Sims was all over the court for the Royals earning five kills, three service aces, and four blocks. Brandon Grabow would dish out 27 assists.
 
Queens will stay on the road and turn around quickly with a match tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 12 at Tusculum University at 2:00 p.m. Be sure to follow the Royals men's volleyball program on Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news and updates surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics to follow all of the Royals sports in action.