September 15, 2023

Pioneers can't take the heat

A final score of 3-1 moves C-N to 3-0 in SAC play and breaks Tusculum's undefeated record.

Tusculum

7-4, 3-1 SAC

Carson-Newman

5-6, 3-0 SAC

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Tusculum 7-4, 3-1 SAC	27	16	20	11	1
Carson-Newman 5-6, 3-0 SAC	25	25	25	25	3

VIDEO: Ashley Tiernan Interview

VIDEO: Taylor Adams Interview

VIDEO: Blair Cherry Interview

VIDEO: Highlights

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - A final score of 3-1 moves C-N to 3-0 in SAC play and breaks Tusculum's undefeated record.

Carson-Newman's winning streak against Tusculum is up to four games after an unstoppable performance at Holt Fieldhouse tonight. Despite an impressive 18 blocks from Pioneer blockers, the Eagles outperformed their opponents in every category but one.

"Getting this win was a huge opportunity for us to build on, and know that that's the excitement we have to take on no matter who's in the stands." says head coach Ashley Tiernan.

Set 1 (25-27): After a duel in set one, the Eagles went down 25-27 after eight tied scores and six lead changes. Tusculum came out hot with 19 kills, six of which came from Aly Freeland.

"We knew that this was our game" says Taylor Adams, "we had a couple of silly errors in the first set, we cleaned those up and that's what got us our victory tonight."

Set 2 (25-16): Carson-Newman didn't miss a beat after dropping the first set, and took the second by a nine point margin. Skylor Weaver came out with five kills in set two, while Bennett McCombs gathered two service aces.

Set 3 (25-20): The Eagles remained dominant througout set three, allowing only one lead change very early on. After the final tie at 5-5, C-N pulled ahead to an eight point lead over the Pioneers. Tusculum managed to close the deficit by a few, but their effort was to no avail and Carson-Newman took the lead 2-1 after set three.

Set 4 (25-11): An 81% side-out percentage, a .379 hitting efficiency, and three players tallying their final numbers for double-doubles highlighted the final set of the match. Tusculum was tamed by a 14 point loss margin and kept at a negative hitting percentage to seal the deal.

Tonight's match against Tusculum marks two games in a row with 10 service aces from the Eagles at the end line. Three players notched double-doubles on the evening; Julia Wheeler with 10 kills and 11 digs, freshman Blair Cherry with 23 assists and 10 digs, and Carlee Allbaugh with 23 assists and 12 digs.

Carson-Newman offense put on a display with three attackers with double digit kills. Taylor Adams led the night in kills for the second time this season, breaking a career record by 50%, finding 15 points on 30 attempts and only three errors for a .400 efficiency. Julia Wheeler collected her second double-double of the season, the 35th in her career while bringing in a total of 15.5 points for Carson-Newman, 10 from swings, 2 from blocks, and four from the service line. Skylor Weaver not far behind with 13 kills on 33 attempts. She led the Eagles in kills for two sets with her efforts.

Bennett McCombs was two assists shy of her first double-double and led the defense with 18 digs, to mark a career record.

Carson-Newman travels to Gaffney, S.C next Tuesday to take on Limestone as their fourth SAC match of the season.