WISE, VA — In their first win against Lincoln Memorial in 26 years, the UVA Wise Cavaliers dominated the Railsplitters in a 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-18) sweep inside the Prior Center on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

The Cavaliers (6-17, 2-15 SAC) dominated offensively in the conference battle, producing their best hitting percentage of the 2022 season (.276). The Cavs out-killed the Railsplitters (8-20, 4-13 SAC) 49 to 32.

In the first set, UVA Wise came out of the gates strong with top attackers Bailey Conner, Cassidy Farley, Kaylee Scarce, and Kinley Norris putting up a kill each to get a 4-1 lead. Lincoln Memorial miscues and additional kills from Dannah Persinger added to the Cavalier advantage as the Cavs took an 8-4 lead and forced a Railsplitter timeout.

After the break, Lincoln Memorial tabbed two kills and profited off a Cavalier error to get within one. Soon after, the Cavaliers answered with a four point run led by Conner to snag a 12-7 lead.

UVA Wise kept gaining momentum in optimal points of the match, but Lincoln Memorial stayed within reach. Later in the set, the Cavs had nearly sealed the deal with a 23 18 lead with a kill from Conner once again, but LMU had other plans. A significant five-point run led by Kristin Moehring had knotted the score up at 23. Within the next two points, the Cavs pieced together a kill from Scarce and forced a LMU error to sneak out the 25-23 win.

With high spirits bleeding into the second set, the Cavaliers put together a superior offensive effort. Towards the middle of the set, UVA Wise strung together seven consecutive points with Farley, Norris, and Scarce on the attack. Lincoln Memorial found themselves at a 22-9 deficit, and only put up four more points in the set. The Cavaliers took a convincing second set win, 25-13.

In the third set, the Cavaliers ran ahead with a substantial lead once again with the help of six Railsplitter errors. Another jump from the Cavs gave them a 16-9 lead before LMU revitalized and complied five-unanswered points to get within two. Even with a few successful rallies from LMU's Maggie Sanderson, the Cavalier connection — Kamryn Livingston to Lily Gutierrez to Farley — was ultimately too tough to defend. The Cavaliers walked off with a 25-18 final set win.

The victory marks the first win for UVA Wise volleyball against the Railsplitters since Sept. 6 of 1996, as the Cavs snagged a 3-2 win. The win marks the first Cavalier win against LMU in their South Atlantic Conference tenure.

Additionally, the current six-win season stamps the best Cavalier volleyball record since 2017.

On the night, Livingston let nothing get past her crew as she led with a career-high 27 digs. Gutierrez added a leading 20 assists, and Conner added 13 kills.

Farley also added 13 kills of her own, marking a career-high for the upperclassman. Farley also added a game-high two blocks in the victory.

Next, the Cavaliers finish off the regular season at home as they face the Carson-Newman Eagles in the prior Center on Friday, Nov. 4 at 6:00 p.m.

Visit uvawisecavs.com for all Cavalier volleyball news, statistics, complete schedule, and more.