Carson-Newman volleyball readies itself for second half of SAC play
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (8-10, 2-7 SAC) volleyball turns the page to the second half of its South Atlantic Conference Schedule with a pair of weekend contests against Newberry (12-10, 6-5 SAC) Friday and Anderson (10-11, 3-8) Saturday.
The Eagles knocked down Newberry in the first meeting between the two teams 3-1 before falling in a sweep to Anderson the next night.
"To think that a month ago we played them, lots of things have changed for both teams," Carson-Newman head volleyball coach Shannon Mincey said. "I certainly hope things have changed for our teams as we've grown and matured."
The Eagles are coming off a six-match road trip. Carson-Newman went 3-3 in its time away from Holt Fieldhouse. When the Eagles hit the court for the match Friday with the Wolves, it'll be the first match at home in 17 days. Mincey said the time on the road has brought the team closer together.
"This year we aren't in the standings where we'd like to be, but that adversity has developed character," Mincey said. We have not lost heart."
To rebound this weekend, the Eagles must square off against the league's top attacker and best blocker.
Samantha Parrish leads Newberry with 294 kills, while the Trojans Tiffany Rowe averages a league best 1.24 b/s.
Parrish fired off 16 kills in the first meeting with the Eagles, but the Wolves were held to a .104 attack percentage as Carson-Newman blocked a season high 14 balls.
Meanwhile Anderson's Rowe sent back a season high of six blocks for an Eagle opponent. Rowe and company blocked 12 balls to hold C-N to a .084 hit percentage in the first meeting.
Carson-Newman libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) comes off a stellar week of play where she averaged nearly nine digs/set against LMU, Catawba and Wingate.
The Eagles attack will feature sophomore outsides Lauren Santarelli (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Rachel Harper (Chattanooga, Tenn.), who average 2.87 and 2.89 kills/set, respectively.
The match with Newberry begins at 7 p.m. Friday while the Eagles tangle with the Trojans at 2 p.m. Saturday. Live stats and video stream for both matches will be available at cneagles.com.
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