CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Queens headed to Harrogate, Tennessee to take on the reigning IVA champions in Lincoln Memorial. They got off to a hot start with a first-set victory but were unable to take home a second, falling in four sets (21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 27-25).

With the loss, Queens falls to 3-8 while Lincoln Memorial improves to 8-4.

MATCH SUMMARY
Queens trailed 2-4 early in the first, but used four consecutive errors by LMU to gain an early 6-4 lead, the latter being a double block by Jack Brinkman and Stirling Sims. Later in the set with the score knotted at 15, the Royals went on a nice run that saw them take five of the next six points, thanks to a kill and a block by Fletcher Murphy and capped with an ace by Brinkman. Sims would combine with Matthew Pilch for his second block of the set to give Queens a 23-18 lead late and prompted LMU's second timeout of the set. Brinkman would finish the set off shortly after with a kill to put Queens ahead 1-0.

Brinkman stepped behind the service li
ne with Queens up 1-0 early and would use an ace to spark a five-point run that gave the Royals a 6-0 lead and forced Lincoln Memorial to call an early timeout. The next 12 points would be a literal back-and-forth battle as the teams swapped each point in that stretch, until five consecutive points by the Splitters cut the deficit to one and caused Queens to call its first timeout of the set. LMU clawed their way back to keep it close but Queens refused to budge until the late in the set. The set found itself tied at 23 and Lincoln Memorial put together a strong late effort that gave them a 25-23 victory in the second set. 

The third set remained close much like the others. The Royals would reach 10 points first, however Lincoln Memorial quickly tied it at 10 and took the lead one point later. Down 12-11, a well-placed kill by Pilch was the first of three consecutive points for Queens that gave them a 14-12 lead and forced the opposing coach to call a timeout. The Splitters responded well, taking seven of the next nine which led to a 19-16 lead in their favor. Queens remained resilient, rattling off three in a row late, the last two both being achieved by double blocks, however Lincoln Memorial staved off the comeback attempt and took the third set 25-23 yet again.

Nathan Vaupel got going in the fourth set with two kills in the first three points, and his third kill cutting the eventual deficit to one, 11-10. Queens battled throughout but were unable to grab a lead from LMU at the midway point of the set. The Royals would find themselves down 21-16 but would display a phenomenal effort in the proceeding points as they pushed the next seven, capped off with three consecutive blocks to take a 23-21 lead and force an opposing timeout. LMU fought back to tie the set at 23 and again at 24. After a service error knotted the set at 25, LMU pushed to take the final two points and ultimately the match. 

COACH'S WORDS
"That was a really rugged match that in a highly competitive environment tonight" said head coach Jeremy Price. "Our outside attackers did a really nice job offensively with both Matt Pilch and Ananias Hayes putting away 12 kills and hitting over .300".

BY THE NUMBERS

• Matt Pilch's 12 kills marks his fourth-consecutive match with 12+ kills as he's paced Queens' offense nicely. 
• Also contributing 12 kills was Ananias Hayes who swung an efficient .320 while adding three total blocks.
• At the net, Stirling Sims was a force to be reckoned with as he tallied seven block assists on the evening. 
• Daniel Leitao dished out 31 assists in the match, also tying for team-high six digs and adding three kills og his own. 

NEXT UP
The Royals will return home and prepare for their continued road trip as they head to Mount Olive on Wednesday, February 15.

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