Eagle volleyball welcomes Mars Hill to Holt Fieldhouse for Tuesday showdown
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Tuesday’s matchup between Carson-Newman (3-5, 1-2 SAC) and Mars Hill (7-5, 1-2 SAC) features two of the premier defensive specialists in the South Atlantic Conference. Carson-Newman’s Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Mars Hill’s Maggie Murphy rank fourth and third in the conference in digs/set with 5.0 and 5.33, respectively. First serve for the match is 7 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Tuesday's matchup between Carson-Newman (3-5, 1-2 SAC) and Mars Hill (7-5, 1-2 SAC) features two of the premier defensive specialists in the South Atlantic Conference.
"We are focusing on (Angelle's) digs," C-N head volleyball coach Shannon Mincey said. "What else do liberos have to gun for (statistically) other than throwing their bodies all over the court for their hitters? Murphy is (Mars Hill's) knight in shining armor. Our hitters will be forced to not hit the ball toward their outstanding libero."
The Eagles will try to establish some consistency on the court after splitting weekend matches with a win over Newberry in four sets and a sweep at the hands of Anderson.
"Sunday we met as a group and discussed our aspirations and our goals," Mincey said. "Certainly our play on Saturday did not meet expectations that we have set for our year. Mars Hill's been a very effective team and they've gotten some big wins this year."
The Lions are coming off a 3-0 sweep of Lincoln Memorial. The Lions attack runs primarily through outside hitter Marissa Wixson. The junior is one of six SAC volleyball players to average better than three kills/set through the first month of the season. C-N's Lauren Santarelli (Colorado Springs, Colo.) averages 2.90 k/s.
"Last year Wixson solely beat us at their place," Mincey said. "We need to focus in on that one hitter and take care of business against her. She reads the court really well. She's a frustrating hitter."
The Eagles Sabina Papala (Laziska Gorne, Poland), who averages 0.87 b/s, will have to lead the Carson-Newman block against Wixson and middle hitter Toni Cole – a junior college transfer averaging 2.77 k/s.
Live stats and video will be available on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network on cneagles.com.
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