BOX SCORE: vs Concordia Irvine
TAVARES, Fla.- For the first time in 1,090 days, Carson-Newman wins an AVCA Small College Beach Championship match, defeating Tusculum by a score of 3-2.
The Eagles defeated the Pioneers in the morning session before dropping the challenge match against Concordia University Irvine 4-0
Game One: Carson-Newman 3, Tusculum 2
The Eagles traveled 649 miles to face-off against a foe that resides only 47 miles from the Carson-Newman campus.
Skyellar Hall and Emily Lawless took on Lindsey Geurin and Taylor Keeran in the no. 5 position. The Pioneers started strong with a 21-16 set, but lost momentum as the Eagles came back to win the second set 15-21. The Pioneers would go on to clinch the point with a final set of 17-13.
C-N's McKenna Hall and Piper Halcrow defeated Katie McLamb and Olivia Knutson in sets of 21-19 and 21-18. In similar fashion, Eagles Sierra Still and Abby Hildenbrand defeated Olivia O'Keefe and Emma Johnson playing in the no. 1 position.
Charlyn Miller and Haley Davis secured the second point of the day for the Pioneers as they defeat Alanis Mendez and Julia Wheeler in sets of 21-11 and 21-10.
Mia Toribio and Morgan Siwiec successfully took down Britney Shawel and Landry Tea in sets of 21-14 and 21-17, clinching the win for the Eagles. Toribio and Siwiec move to 2-1 against the Pioneers this season after being the only members of the convocation to earn victories over Tusculum this season.
Carson-Newman's win against the Pioneers sends Tusculum to the Bronze bracket, and the Eagles to face Concordia University Irvine in the challenge match.
It is the first win for the Eagles over Tusculum since Mar. 13, 2021. It is also the program's first win at the AVCA tournament since Apr. 19, 2021 when the Eagles defeated Principia.
With the win, the Eagles clinch their first winning season since the shortened 2020 season when the program finished 6-1.
Game Two: Concordia University Irvine 4, Carson-Newman 0
Carson-Newman fails to pick up a winning set for the second time in this tournament against two-seeded Concordia University Irvine in a game that ended early due to darkness that ensued after an hour-long rain delay.
In the no. 5 position, Eva Prewitt and Nicole Miller sweep Eagles Taylor Keeran and Lindsey Geurin in sets of 21-11 and 21-15.
Isabella Bush and Ellie Cary continued their dominance at the no. 4 position, defeating McKenna Hall and Piper Halcrow in sets of 21-10 and 21-15.
Mia Toribio and Morgan Siwiec gave the Eagles the most competitive effort of the day, but fell short to Shannon Evans and Tatum Smith in sets of 21-14 and 21-16.
Screaming Eagles Hailee Ryan and Sara Ostojic cap off the night with a two-set win over Alanis Mendez and Julia Wheeler in sets of 21-9 and 21-10.
The no. one position match was not played due to darkness and CUI already clinching the victory.
Carson-Newman will move on to play Palm Beach Atlantic in the silver bracket on Saturday, Apr. 16 at 8:00 A.M. The winner of that game will play either Saint Leo or Texas A&M Kingsville in the Silver Bracket championship match at 12:00 P.M, while the two losing teams will play for third place. Fans can follow along with live stats here.
