ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— Carson-Newman dropped a pair of dual matches Saturday afternoon while going up against the Eckerd Tritons 3-2 and 4-1 to end day two of action in a busy weekend of competition for the Eagles.
"Tough day on the scoreboard. With beach volleyball, there is much more to handle than just the game itself, such as the wind we saw at Webber and the heat from the blazing sun we saw today," beach volleyball coach Dave Franklin said. "I felt our girls competed really well and didn't let the weather determine their competiveness. We went three in lots of matches today and the end score just didn't go our way. Tomorrows a new day and I look forward to seeing the fight in our girls."
Saturday saw the end of freshmen duo Katie Will (Clearwater, Fla.) and Ally King's (Cincinnati, Ohio) undefeated streak as the C-N's No. 1 team fell in two matches on the day.
However, the Eagles received valuable play from in the fourth-seeded contest, as Kristina Hill (Lake Orion, Mich.) and Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) went 2-0 in both dual matches.
Dual 1: Eckerd College 3, Carson-Newman 2
The Eagles fell behind early by dropping the first two matches of the contest as Will and King dropped their first match of the season in the 21-19, 21-17 loss at No. 1.
Sara Fairley (Charlotte, N.C.) and Molly Locke (College Grove, Tenn.) followed suit with a 21-18, 22-20 loss in the second match.
Carson-Newman would then respond by taking the third and fourth matches of the day.
Maddie Zyburt (Plainfield, Ill.) and Taylor Lowe (Franklin, Tenn.) teamed up to take down Kali Boatwright and Gabrielle Reis 21-16, 9-21 and 15-12 in three sets, while Hill and Harris put forth a 21-17, 21-15 win.
With the fifth match up for grabs, the Eagles turned to Megan Morris (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) and Eileen Anderson (Pittstown, N.J.). The duo battled but ultimately came up short 21-14, 21-15 in the final match of the contest.
Results: Eckerd College 3, Carson-Newman 2
1. Tjasa Kotnik/Kaitlyn Sibson (EC) def. Katie Will/Ally King (C-N) 21-19, 21-17
2. Madison Whiting/Arielle Erillo (EC) def. Sara Fairley/Molly Locke (C-N) 21-18, 22-20
3. Maddie Zyburt/Taylor Lowe (C-N) def. Kali Boatwright/Gabriella Reis (EC) 21-16, 9-21, 15-12
4. Kristina Hill/Natalie Harris (C-N) def. Stephanie Bogda/Mackenzie Redner (EC) 21-17, 21-15
5. Savanna Cary/Rachel Cornatzer (EC) def. Megan Morris/Eileen Anderson (C-N) 21-14, 21-15
Dual No. 2: Eckerd 4, Carson-Newman 1
Carson-Newman's second contest of the day against the Tritons began with three-straight losses as the first three Eagle pairings fell to their Eckerd Counterparts.
Will and King again kicked things off for Carson-Newman in the first-seeded match as the freshmen duo fell 21-18, 21-9 to start the contest.
Fairley and Locke followed up with a 21-11, 21-18 loss at No. 2 and Zyburt and Lowe came up short in the third round, 21-18, 19-21 and 15-9 in three sets.
The Eagles would then tally their lone point of the contest when Hill and Harris teamed up to take down Stephanie Bogda and Mackenzie Redner 15-21, 21-18 and 15-11 at No. 4.
Carson-Newman would then conclude the match with a loss in the final round of play. Allie Foster (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Hannah Robertson (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) linked up at No. 5 for a 21-12, 21-5 loss to end Saturday's action.
Results: Eckerd College 4, Carson-Newman 1
1. Tjasa Kotnik/Kaitlyn Sibson (EC) def. Katie Will/Ally King (C-N) 21-18, 21-9
2. Madison Whiting/Arielle Erillo (EC) def. Sara Fairley/Molly Locke (C-N) 21-11, 21-18
3. Kali Boatwright/Gabriella Reis (EC) def. Maddie Zyburt/Taylor Lowe (C-N) 21-18, 19-21, 15-9
4. Kristina Hill/Natalie Harris (C-N) def. Stephanie Bogda/Mackenzie Redner (EC) 15-21, 21-18, 15-11
5. Savanna Cary/Haylee Bilbray (EC) def. Allie Foster/Hannah Robertson (C-N) 21-12, 21-5
Carson-Newman will hit the sand once more to conclude its 10-day Florida trek while taking on Stevenson Sunday for a pair of duels slated for 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon.
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