CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Competing in its first day of the Ohio Valley Challenge hosted by Austin Peay, the Eagles got off to a rough start to the two-day event, dropping both matches on Friday.
The Eagles (0-11) endured 11 sets of losses on the day before seeing its first glimmer of success. Despite tiebreaking wins, C-N still failed to capture its first victory of the season.
The day began with a 5-0 loss to Spring Hill (13-8), marking the seventh shutout the Eagles have faced this season. Spring Hill took down the Eagles in ten consecutive sets to kick off the weekend before a closer dual followed in the nightcap as the Eagles fell in their closest match of the season at 3-2 to Morehead State (3-10).
"The girls fought all the way to the end," head coach Kody Dubarry said. "Having four of the five matches (in the second dual) go three sets was awesome. This is going to push us moving forward tomorrow and next weekend."
Dual 1: Spring Hill 5, C-N 0
The No. 5 pair that began the day consisted of Catherine Cook (Morristown, Tenn.) and Lexy Headley (Sharps Chapel, Tenn.). Emily Sullivan and Emmarose Neibert defeated the C-N pairing in duplicated set scores of 21-12, 21-12.
Lauren Williams (Carrolton, Ga.) and Grace Seymour (Hudson, Fla.) suited up at the No. 4 spot against Catherine Milwee and Taylor Hurst. The Eagles tandem lost the first set 21-8 before gaining a few extra points in the second set but still fell 21-12.
At the No. 3 seed sat Micah Depetro (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Abby Struewing (Lebanon, Ohio). The pair were taken down in the first set 21-12 by Caroline Herrera and Allison Weimer. The Badger pair took control in the second set and quickly won 21-5, putting Spring Hill up 3-0 early to clinch the win.
Montgomery Sauter (Columbia, S.C.) and Aryana Fazelina (Weston, Fla.) lost their first set 21-16 to Sarah Senft and Brittany Bilotti. They regressed in the second set and were taken down 21-9.
Emily Greim and Payton Gidney defeated Summer Coulter (El Paso, Texas) and Kelly Hughes (Woodbridge, Va.) at the No. 1 seed. Both pairs appeared consistent throughout the first set, but C-N's pair lost 21-14. Greim and Gidney advanced their momentum and won the second set 21-11.
Dual 2: Morehead State 3, C-N 2
Jordan Jones and Jess Hall defeated Cook and Headley at the No. 5 position in the first tie-breaking rally the Orange and Blue Eagles would see on the day. Jones and Hall grasped a first set win 21-15, but lost to the C-N pair 21-13 in the second. The Morehead State side managed to seal the win with a 15-13 defeat against the Eagles' last-seeded pairing.
Morgan Harlan (Ladara Ranch, Calif.) and Seymour played at the No.4 seed. They lost the first set 17-21 to Danielle McCarson and Maddie Fella but took the second set 21-19. The game went in favor of the Morehead State pairing, leaving the final score 15-9.
The first win of the weekend for Carson-Newman came from Depetro and Streuwing, winning their first match of the season as they faced Alyssa Cecil and Karlee Reynolds. They were also the third of four Carson-Newman pairings to push to three sets on the day. Cecil and Reynolds came out on top in the first set 18-21, but the momentum shifted in favor of the C-N paring in the second set with a 23-21. They carried their adrenaline into the third set to take the win from Reynolds and Cecil 15-7, cutting Morehead State's lead, 2-1.
Sauter and Fazelina were defeated by Chandler Clark and Olivia Lohmeier in a fast 21-7 first set. C-N's paring doubled their score in the second set, but still lost 21-14, allowing Morehead State to snag the win at 3-1.
Coulter and Hughes at the No.1 position came out strong with a 21-17 win in the first set. The second set brought extra points thanks to back and forth efforts on both sides of the net, but Jessie Wachtman and Liz Allen won 22-20 forcing a tie-breaking third set. Coulter and Hughes came out on top after battling through the third set much like the previous but finished the match strong with a close 15-13 defeat.
Carson-Newman will hit the courts again tomorrow for two more duals. DuBarry's team will face Jacksonville State at 1 p.m. CT followed by a match against the hosting Governors at 4 p.m. CT.
