Eagle volleyball to play two Saturday
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-7, 2-4 SAC) continues its six-game road trip with a homecoming for head coach Shannon Mincey. The Eagles will play two Saturday at Mincey’s alma mater King College. The Eagles take on Erskine (5-7) at 1 p.m. before battling with the Tornado (11-8) at 3 p.m.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-7, 2-4 SAC) continues its six-game road trip with a homecoming for head coach Shannon Mincey.
The Eagles will play two Saturday at Mincey's alma mater King College. The Eagles take on Erskine (5-7) at 1 p.m. before battling with the Tornado (11-8) at 3 p.m.
Carson-Newman has won two in a row with sweeps over Lees-McRae and Milligan. But Mincey wants her squad to focus on the bigger picture with the two nonconference clashes.
"(I put a daily emphasis) on championships. Just as I went to school (at King) 15 to 20 years ago, my years are still up there on a banner." Mincey said of four conference titles she won while in a Tornado uniform. "Seeing that brings back a lot of memories and the adrenaline of earning that championship is something you'll never forget."
Both matches are regional affairs for the Eagles, making them crucial contests in Mincey's eyes.
"We will take these just as seriously as a conference match," Mincey said. "These are two that are pretty important in terms of the regional rankings."
King had won eight matches in a row before the Tornado dropped its last three. Erskine has wheeled off three wins in a row. The Flying Fleet put Anderson away in a five-set match Tuesday.
Mincey described both teams as "scrappy," making a rejuvenated Eagles service game all the more important. Carson-Newman has aced teams at least 10 times in each of the last four matches. Kristen Pickett (Cleveland, Tenn.) is coming off a seven ace effort at Milligan.
"I hope we can keep our focus and build off that service game. Pickett's done an awesome job building that confidence right off the bat. The focus on her serve allows the team to get revved up."
Carson-Newman has played multiple matches in days before this season, twice in fact at the Eagles' home tournaments, but never back-to-back - a matter that concerns Mincey.
"I've got players who are beat up from playing every other day. I'm not sure how we'll respond playing back to back, it's crucial to play Erskine to three sets; it'll be really difficult to play both in five sets. It'll be important to terminate quickly."
Live stats and video for the matches will be available at kingtornado.com.
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