BOX SCORE: vs Palm Beach Atlantic
TAVARES, Fla. - Despite falling to Palm Beach Atlantic and Saint Leo on the final day of the AVCA Small College Championships, Morgan Siwiec set a trio of school records to end her career in Mossy Creek.
With wins at the no. three position in both matches, Siwiec recorded her 30th and 31st career wins, passing Lindsey Geurin for most individual wins in program history. The senior out of Toms River, N.J. finishes the season with a 20-9 record, just one year after going 4-14. She is the first-ever Eagle to win 20 matches in a season, and holds the highest single-season winning percentage mark in program history at .690.
GAME ONE: Palm Beach Atlantic 4, Carson-Newman 1
In the opening round of the Silver Bracket tournament, C-N fell to Palm Beach Atlantic by a score of 4-1.
Jazz Schmidt and Lunden Evans swept the no. one duo of Abbey Hildenbrand and Sierra Still 21-14 and 21-17
At no. two, Lyndzey Minter and Abby Devido rolled over Alanis Mendez and Julia Wheeler 21-9 and 21-10
Mia Toribio and Morgan Siwiec picked up the lone victory for the Eagles, knocking off Julia Golichowski and Karla Cantero 21-19 and 23-21 in two hard-fought sets.
Olivia Finckel and Abigail Mason clinched the match for the Sailfish at the no. four position, defeating McKenna Hall and Piper Halcrow in three sets. The Eagle pair picked up a 21-16 win in the opening frame before dropping the next two sets 21-9 and 15-10.
Gabriella Aziz and Emma Vann knocked off Kenzie Palmer and Taylor Keeran at no. five in straight sets 21-13 and 21-17.
The Eagles drop to 0-1 on Palm Beach Atlantic all-time, as this was the first meeting between the two programs.
GAME TWO: Saint Leo 4, Carson-Newman 1
In the third place game of the Silver Bracket, Carson-Newman fell to Saint Leo for the third time this season, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Lions to end their week at AVCA.
Nina Vattovaz Jeanette Henderson won at the no. one position, knocking off Abbey Hildenbrand and Sierra Still in two close sets 24-22 and 21-13.
Aliya Fredette and Leann Potter rolled over Alanis Mendez and Julia Wheeler at no. two by scores of 21-10 and 21-10.
Mia Toribio/Morgan Siwiec made history in their win over Ally Reese-Williams and Emma Miller. After dropping the first set 21-17, the pair picked up a win in set two by a 21-18 score. The Carson-Newman duo then went on to win the final set 15-0. It is the first recorded instance of a Carson-Newman beach volleyball pair shutting out an opponent in a single set. Earlier this season, Siwiec and Mendez won a set over the State College of Florida by a score of 21-2.
The Lions clinched the third place medal from the Eagles with a win by Clare Flanagan/Breanna Reinhard over McKenna Hall and Piper Halcrow at the no. four position in straight sets 21-13 and 21-15
Elizabeth Sandoval and Amanda Doherty knocked off Lindsey Geurin and Taylor Keeran at number five in three sets, 21-19, 18-21 and taking the final set in overtime 16-14.
Three Eagles recorded 15 wins this season, with Keeran and Geurin going a combined 15-12 as a duo, while Hall also went 15-12 this season. Geurin finishes her career with a 30-22 record and a .577 winning percentage, the highest career winning percentage in program history.
As a team, the Eagles finished with a record of 15-14, the most wins in a single season in program history and the first winning record for the team in a full season. The Eagles went 6-1 in the COVID shortened 2020 season.
"This team has worked so hard," says head beach volleyball coach Cat Lind. "They truly embraced the challenges that were put infront of them and consistently put the work in and trusted the process. These players wrote history and broke more program and school records than any group and season before. It was a blessing and gift to see the results of all the work that they have put. This has been a special season for our team and program, we are blessed and grateful."
To keep up with all of the Carson-Newman beach volleyball action, stay locked in at cneagles.com.
