WILMINGTON, N.C. – On day one of the Dig and Dive Invitational in Wilmington, N.C., the Carson-Newman Eagles (0-5) faced their toughest opponents of the season thus far, resulting in a couple of 5-0 shutout losses against Division I teams UNC Wilmington (11-7) and North Florida (11-6).
The Eagles battled against the Seahawks and Ospreys but were unable to snatch a win by any of the pairs in either match, falling in 10 straight-set matches on the day.
"Played some high-level talent," head coach Kody DuBarry said. "Had a great chance to learn more about the game today and grow as a team. Saw some good things from our girls that we are gonna try and continue to work on tomorrow."
Match One: UNCW 5, C-N 0
The day began with the No. 5 pairing of Gabrielle Bailey (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and Micah Palmer (White Pine, Tenn.) falling to Courtney Mullinax and Jaime Thomas in a hasty two set game, leaving the scores at 21-8, 21-6.
The fourth-seeded duo of Micah Depetro (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Abby Struewing (Lebanon, Ohio) lost rapidly in the first, 21-4 to Sarah Kelly and Raquel Rooney before losing the second set 21-13.
The dual ship of Aryana Fazelnia (Weston, Fla.) and Montgomery Sauter (Columbia, S.C.) played at the No. 3 spot, but were conquered by Katie McCullough and Brynn Montgomery in consecutive sets, 21-7 and 21-10.
The No. 2 pairing of Summer Coulter (El Paso, Texas) and Grace Seymour (Hudson, Fla.) lost in two, quick sets 21-4, 21-9. UNCW's Halle Hunt and JM Lewandowski's long offensive runs were not enough for Coulter and Seymour to defend.
Morgan Harlan (Ladara Ranch, Calif.) and Kelly Hughes (Woodbridge, Va.) played at the No. 1 spot for the Eagles. The two lost the first set 21-10 to Maddy Kline and Nicole Lott before dropping the second set in almost similar fashion, 21-12.
Match Two: North Florida 5, C-N 0
The fifth-seeded pairing of Bailey and Palmer fell quickly to Carolyn Cain and Casey Justice in back-to-back 21-3 sets.
Depetro and Struewing at the No. 4 spot were only able to garner one point in the first set against Madilyn McCarty and Nicole DeBolt, losing by a staunch 21-3. The second set was less than ideal for the C-N duo as they fell again, 21-3.
At the No. 3 spot, Fazelnia and Sauter were unsuccessful against Brittany Pase and Callie workman, falling 21-11 in the first set and 21-16 in the second. That second set was the closest any Eagles' duo would come against the Ospreys.
The second-seeded duo of Coulter and Seymour faced a tough first set against North Florida's pairing of Taryn Griffey and Chaney Howard, dropping a 21-1 match. The second set brought a bit of a turnaround for the Eagles as the duo fell by a smaller 21-15 margin.
In the top-seeded matchup, Harlan and Hughes fell in difficult sets to Courtney Miller and Carina Hoff, 21-6 and 21-9.
The second day of the Dig & Dive Invitational brings NAIA competition for the Eagles. Their day begins at 8:30 am. against Webber International followed by Missouri Baptist at 11:30 a.m.
