SALISBURY, N.C. - Despite taking a late lead, a pair of three-set matches doomed the Eagles, with the convocation falling to Catawba on day one of the SAC Beach Challenge.
"We fought well today but we fought too late," says head coach Cat Lind. "We did great things but we couldn't find our rhythm right away and it hurt us."
The Eagles mixed up their lineup and put Lindsey Geurin and Joy Rhodes in at the no. four position. The pair held off a fierce rally by the Tribe to take set one 25-23 before putting the match away in set two to give Carson-Newman an early 1-0 lead.
@Rhodesjoy_ calls game.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) April 30, 2021
Her and @lindseygeurin give #CNBV the early lead with a win in straight sets.
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At the no. two position, Sierra Still and Abby Struewing suffered their second loss in three matches, falling in three sets. After dropping the first set 21-15 and dominating the second set 21-12, the pair committed costly errors down the stretch and dropping the final set 15-11.
The senior duo of Megan Oldenburger and Summer Coulter gave the Eagles the advantage back after a dominating two set sweep at the no. one position, earning a pair of wins 21-14 and 21-12.
Summer is coming, and she just ended this one. The two seniors give the Eagles the lead
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) April 30, 2021
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The newly formed pair of Mia Toribio and Morgan Siwiec took the first set at the no. three position in dominating fashion, winning 21-12. The pair could not keep up the momentum, dropping the second set 21-16 and a late rally would not be enough as the pair fell in the third set 15-12.
The match would come down to freshmen Piper Halcrow and Alyssa Johnson at the no. five position, who were playing their first non exhibtion match of the year since Apr. 1. The duo rallied from an early 3-0 defecit to win set one 21-19, but fell 21-18 in the second set. A 7-0 run by the Indians helped Catawba pull away, clinching the game and the match with a 15-5 victory.
The loss guarantees a losing season for the Eagles for the first time since 2019. It is also the squad's second straight loss to a team from the Tarheel State and pushes the team's overall record in matches played within North Carolina to 0-9.
"Tomorrow is a big day," says Lind. "It'll be an emotional day since it's our last game. We've talked about it a lot and we need to find that rhythm right away and have a competitive mindset."
Carson-Newman finishes off the season on Saturday, May, 1, with a pair of matches against in-state rivals. The Eagles will take on Lincoln Memorial at 11:00 AM before facing Tusculum at 4:00 PM. Both matches will be played at Catawba College.
