Deland, Fla.— The Carson-Newman beach volleyball team split in its first day of the 2016 season with a 4-1 loss from Tulane Friday morning and a 4-1 win over Missouri Baptist in the afternoon to cap off day one of action at the Stetson Sand Tournament in the Sunshine State.
"We had a very successful first day of competition. Our team has worked hard to prepare and continues to get better every day," assistant coach Kirby Toribio said. "We're excited for the chance to play in some warm weather and we are looking forward to another great day tomorrow."
Dual No.1—Carson-Newman vs. Tulane
In their first collegiate beach volleyball match, freshmen duo Ally King (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Katie Will (Clearwater, Fla.) teamed up to take down the Green Wave's No. 2 pairing 23-21, 25-23 in two sets to give Carson-Newman its lone point of the match.
Other than the victory in the second-seeded contest, the Eagles struggled to come up with points as the remaining four C-N pairings lost to the No. 18 ranked team in the country.
Molly Locke (College Grove, Tenn.) and Sara Fairley (Charlotte, N.C.) led things off for the Eagles in the No. 1 dual and fell to Tea Juric and Jackie Wagner 21-13, 21-12 to begin the morning. Taylor Lowe (Franklin, Tenn.) and Maddie Zyburt (Plainfield, Ill.) tallied 15 points in the first set but ultimately fell 21-15, 21-11 at No. 3.
Kristina Hill (Lake Orion, Mich.) and Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) lost 21-12, 21-14 in the fourth-seeded match while freshman Megan Morris (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) and junior Eileen Anderson (Pittstown, N.J.) fell at No. 5 21-9, 21-10.
Carson-Newman and Tulane's exhibition match was between Lindsey Huber/Christina McAfee and Hannah Robertson (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) and Allie Foster (Johnson City, Tenn.). C-N's duo came up short in the contest 21-4, 21-8.
Carson-Newman vs. Tulane Results
Tulane 4, Carson-Newman 1
1. Tea Juric/Jackie Wegner (TUL) def. Molly Locke/Sara Fairley (C-N) 21-13, 21-12
2. Ally King/Katie Will (C-N) def. Courtney Liddle/Hannah Holmes (TUL) 23-21, 25-23
3. Madeline Mertz/Lan Nguyen (TUL) def. Taylor Lowe/Maddie Zyburt (C-N) 21-15, 21-11
4. Claudia Lemieux/Briana Correa (TUL) def. Kristina Hill/Natalie Harris (C-N) 21-12, 21-14
5. Sarah Strasner/Miah Diirell (TUL) def. Megan Morris/Eileen Anderson (C-N) 21-9, 21-10
Ext. Lindsey Huber/Christina McAfee (TUL) def. Allie Foster/Hannah Robertson (C-N) 21-4, 21-8
Dual No. 2- Carson-Newman 4, Missouri Baptist 1
Carson-Newman started the contest out with a quick 2-0 advantage following wins at the Eagles' No. 4 and 5 pairings.
Hill and Harris teamed up to take down Audree Morecraft and Peyton Yoder 22-20, 21-14 to begin the day for Carson-Newman in the fourth-seeded match. Anderson and Morris quickly followed with a 21-12, 21-8 win at No. 5 putting the Eagles in the driver's seat early in the day.
C-N's first-seeded pairing of Locke and Fairley battled through the first set that featured 42 combined points as the duo dropped the opening set 22-20. In set No. 2, Locke and Fairley again battled but ultimately came up short losing 21-16 for C-N's only loss of the contest.
Lowe and Zyburt immediately responded a court over by taking a two-set victory over Jen Brendel and Shelby Clifton 21-13, 21-10 in the third-seeded contest.
Carson-Newman's only pairing of Will and King that recorded a match point in dual No. 1 against Tulane earlier in the day added another victory to the scorecard in the afternoon. The duo came together for a 21-15, 21-11 win at No. 2.
Carson-Newman ended the day by picking up a victory in the exhibition matchup against Missouri Baptist as Foster and Robertson combined efforts for a 21-18 win in two-straight sets.
Carson-Newman vs. Missouri Baptist Results
Carson-Newman 4, Missouri Baptist 1
1. Julia Whitfield/Hannah Carey (MOBAP) def. Molly Locke/Sara Fairley (C-N) 22-20, 21-16
2. Ally King/Katie Will (C-N) def. Mallory Dillon/Marion Couraud (MOBAP) 21-15, 21-11
3. Taylor Lowe/Maddie Zyburt (C-N) def. Jen Brendel/Shelby Clifton (MOBAP) 21-13, 21-10
4. Kristina Hill/Natalie Harris (C-N) def. Audree Morecraft/Peyton Yoder (MOBAP) 22-20, 21-14
5. Eileen Anderson/Megan Morris (C-N) def. Karli Mezo/Cammi Davis (MOBAP) 21-12, 21-8
The Eagles will hit the sand again tomorrow to play the final two matches Carson-Newman is scheduled for in the Stetson Tournament. Spring Hill will await the Eagles for an 11:30 a.m. first serve and Eckerd will take on Carson-Newman for the third time in program history Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
Stay up to date on Carson-Newman beach volleyball on twitter at @CNvolleyball and online at cneagles.com.
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