JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman volleyball team fell to Mars Hill, 3-1 (18-25, 27-29, 25-19, 25-27) on Senior Night Tuesday in South Atlantic Conference action at Holt Fieldhouse.

With the loss, the Lady Eagles drop to 16-9 overall and 8-8 in the conference with two regular season games remaining. Mars Hill improves to 11-11 on the season and 7-11 in SAC play.

Seniors Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) and Lara McDonald (Salem, Va.) both had big nights in their final home game. Mozgai delivered 25 kills, nine digs and two blocks, while McDonald finished with 23 assists, five digs and one block.

Junior Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) added 18 kills with a hitting percentage of .571 and 10 blocks. Freshman Courtney Lawson (Chattanooga, Tenn.) distributed 26 assists and had 10 digs, while Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Rachael Bowlin (Morristown, Tenn.) pitched in 24 and 15 digs, respectively, for the Lady Eagles.

Junior Evie Tafunai (Edwardsburg, Mich.) led the way for Mars Hill with 18 kills, while Laura Ann Huskey (Hendersonville, N.C.) and Jenna Luke (Mishawaka, Ind.) produced 12 kills apiece.

Sophomore Becca Smith (Candler, N.C.) dished out a match-high 44 assists for the Lions, while Maggie Murphy (Richmond, Va.) had 19 digs in the win.

The Lady Eagles held an early 7-6 lead in the first set before Mars Hill went on a 6-0 run to take the lead for good. The Lions led by as many as eight points and they closed out the match on a kill by Huskey to take a 25-18 win.

Mars Hill cruised to a 21-11 lead in the second set, but the Lady Eagles battled back with a 14-3 run to take a 25-24 lead. The teams then played to three ties before Mars Hill took the lead for good at 28-27 on a kill by Huskey. A C-N attack error then gave the Lions a 29-27 win.

The Lady Eagles dominated the third set, leading by as many as 11 points. James ended the game with a kill to give C-N a 25-19 win.

The teams fought through eight ties and four lead changes in the third set before Mars Hill took the lead for good on a block assist by Huskey and Hillary Gambrell (Pickens, S.C.) at 26-25. A C-N attack error then sealed the win for Mars Hill.

The Lady Eagles return to action on Friday at Brevard. Match time is set for 5 p.m. in Brevard, N.C.