BOX SCORE: Match 1 vs Tusculum
BOX SCORE: Match 2 vs Chattanooga
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman beach volleyball team endured their first two losses of the season in today's doubleheader against Tusculum and UT Chattanooga.
The Eagles fall to 3-2 on the season after the pair of setbacks.
"I am proud of the work we have put in but today was a challenge for us," says head coach Cat Lind. "We have the skills and abilities to compete with some of the highest level teams but today our mental game fell short. Our skills are there but we need to accompany it with the mindset of a competitor. We will take what we learned from today and apply it for this coming weekend."
GAME ONE: Tusculum 5, Carson-Newman 0
Tusculum's Katie McLamb and Olivia Knutson opened the day by winning two straight sets against Carson-Newman's Julia Wheeler and Morgan Siwiec in the no. four position. McLamb and Knutson won in two straight sets of 21-10 and 21-13. Wheeler and Siwiec have a record of 5-4 in their sets up to this point in the season.
Arizona Webb and Diana Bierwagen lifted the Pioneers to their second win in the match as they got the best of Lindsey Geurin and Taylor Keeran in sets of 21-17 and 21-12. This was Geurin and Keeran's first two losing sets of the season.
Olivia O'Keefe and Charlyn Miller clinched the match for the Pioneers as they defeated Mia Toribio and Sierra Still in sets of 21-16 and 21-14.
At the no. three position, Brittney Shawet and Landry Tea defeated Mckenna Hall and Jenny Ille in sets of 21-14 and 21-9.
Emma Johnson and Haley Davis secured Tusculum's sixth 5-0 win of the season after defeating Kenzie Palmer and Abby Hildenbrand in sets of 21-18 and 21-8.
In the exhibition game, Tusculum's Destiny Ramsey and Morgan Pacione defeated Kat Nelson and Alanis Mendez in straight sets 21-16 and 21-12.
GAME TWO: UT Chattanooga 4, Carson-Newman 1
Lindsey Geurin and Taylor Keeran would give Carson-Newman their only win on the day as they bested UT Chattanooga's Madelina Osband and Julia Davis. The Eagles began the match off by winning a set 21-16 but dropped the following set 22-20. Osband and Davis could not complete the comeback as they fell in the overtime set 15-8.
Baylee Young and Neva Clark fell in the first set against CN's Mia Toribio and Sierra Still but would win the match by winning two straights sets at 21-15 and 15-12. This would be Toribio and Still's third three set match in five appearances so far on the season.
Paige Gallentine and Gylian Finch defeated Abby Hildenbrand and Kenzie Palmer to hand Carson-Newman their second loss of the match at no. two in sets of 21-13 and 21-18.
Morgan Siwiec and Julia Wheeler won the first set of their match 17-21 against Victoria Cerino and Madi Morris, but then lost two straight in sets of 21-12 and 15-7 to give UT Chattanooga the match-clinching win.
Bailey Steger and Hanley Lomax rounded out the day with a win over Mckenna Hall and Jenny Ille in sets of 21-23, 21-15, and 15-9.
Carson-Newman begins the year 3-2 for the second consecutive season. The Eagles fall to 1-8 all time against the Tusculum's Pioneers and 1-2 all time against UT Chattanooga.
The Sand Eagles will look to right the ship as they head to Laurinburg, North Carolina to play a doubleheader against Stevenson and St. Andrews on March 4th.
