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Lincoln Memorial and Limestone two years after playing in a five-game showdown will now meet again in the inaugural Battle of the Sammy B’s Biscuit Bar.
Off the Block announced Monday that Lincoln Memorial and Limestone will play each other in the trophy game on 12:30 p.m. Jan. 19 in Lebanon, Tennessee as part of the Off the Block Grow the Game Challenge presented by MotorMVB.
While trophy games are uncommon in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball, they are used on other college sports such as football to hype up games and emerging rivalries. This trophy game concept is being utilized for the Grow the Game Challenge as a way to spotlight certain matches during the three-day non-conference tournament.
This trophy game is named in honor of the legendary Biscuit Bar at Sammy B’s.
Sammy B’s is a locally-owned restaurant located in Lebanon and places an emphasis on providing customers with foods containing fresh and homemade ingredients. The buffet-style Biscuit Bar at Sammy’s Bar is served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays and features a wide variety of times such as smoked sausage hash, fresh fruit and macaroni and cheese.
In the only previous meeting between the two Battle of the Sammy B’s Biscuit Bar participants, Lincoln Memorial defeated Limestone in five games in 2017. That win in the Railsplitters inaugural season also was the first major upset in program history against a ConfCarolinas school.
Lincoln Memorial, which competed last season as an independent without a conference affiliation, finished 2018 with the program’s first winning record and won the IVA Tournament.
The Railsplitters return three All-Independent Team starters, including middle attacker Pedro Carvalho. Carvalho as a freshman last season had a nation-best 1.54 blocks per game average and was a finalist for the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Blocker of the Year.
Setter A.J. Risavy also returns for his sophomore season after earning the 2018 Independent Teams Freshman of the Year.
Limestone under new head coach Steve Benson played last season with a roster primarily comprised of freshmen finished in sixth place in the ConfCarolinas. In addition, the Saints qualified for the postseason and advanced to the ConfCarolinas Tournament quarterfinals.
The Battle of the Sammy B’s Biscuit Bar also will be feature two players who made the preseason watch list for the Bryan Ivie Award, which is presented to the top opposite in college men’s volleyball.
Limestone opposite Francisco Salinger Cenzual ended 2018 among the conference leaders with both a 2.82 kills per game average and 38 aces. Along with being a Third-Team All-ConfCarolinas selection, Cenzual was named the ConfCarolinas Freshman of the Year.
Lincoln Memorial opposite Evan Cory was in the nation’s top 25 averaging 3.51 kills per game. The All-Independent Team selection and runner-up for the 2018 Independent Teams Player of the Year also had career-high 26 kills as Lincoln Memorial defeated Coker in the IVA Tournament finals.
Sammy B’s along with its Biscuit Bar offers a variety of items on its regular menu ranging for smokehouse appetizers and pasta dishes to salads.
The Grow the Game Challenge will take place Jan. 18-20 at Cumberland University. With a 10-team field, will be the largest college men’s volleyball non-conference tournament during the upcoming season.
The match result Battle of the Sammy B’s Biscuit Bar, along all other 12 tournament matches, will count towards determining the overall tournament champion of the Grow the Game Challenge.
Tickets for all tournament matches can now be purchase online at $8 for a day pass and $20 for a tournament pass.