Carson-Newman Volleyball Match Notes
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – A trip to Georgia brought unexpected results for the Carson-Newman Eagles (4-3). Losses to UNC Pembroke and GRU Augusta in the final matches before South Atlantic Conference play kicks in have given Carson-Newman a renewed focus as the Tusculum Pioneers (1-7) come to town Tuesday evening for a 7 p.m. first serve.
Game tapes were promptly tossed in the trash can upon arrival back in Tennessee after committing 50 attack errors. The Eagles had made just 64 mistakes in the first five matches of the season and saw their year-to-date hitting percentage plummet almost an entire percentage point to .232.
One of the bright spots this season has been senior setter Kristen Pickett (Cleveland, Tenn.) who tallied a pair of double-doubles over the weekend and has a string of six double-doubles in her last nine matches dating back to 2013. In that span, the preseason second team All-SAC pick has averaged 38 assists and 11.5 digs. Pickett set a new career-high on Saturday with 24 digs against UNC Pembroke as well as a career-best 3.5 total kills.
To get back on the right track, Carson-Newman has to face a Tusculum team that has defeated the Eagles in six straight matches dating back to Carson-Newman's NCAA Division II Playoff win on November 19, 2010. There is not one player on the current roster that has been on the winning sideline against the Pioneers. Tusculum holds a 28-21 advantage in the series history.
Tusculum's 1-7 record can be deceptive as four of the losses have come against top-25 ranked foes including No. 2 Tampa and No. 5 Central Missouri.
None of the numbers stick out for the Pioneers who are hitting .125 as a team with just 26 total blocks.
Preseason second team All-SAC selection Megan Hasse leads the attack with 85 kills which lead the conference. Hasse has also had more chances than anyone else in the league having been set up 261 times.
In the first meeting between the two schools a season ago, Carson-Newman jumped out to a two set lead before Tusculum reeled off a trio of set wins to stun the Eagles. The Pioneers hit .423 in the final three sets after committing just seven attack errors. Hasse led the way in the match with 17 kills. Rachel Harper (Chattanooga, Tenn.) had a monster match with 23 kills and 18 digs in a losing effort.
When the two teams met later in the year in Greeneville, Tenn., the Pioneers swept the match. Pickett put up a double-double with 30 assists and 11 digs. The match was right in the middle of a stretch where Carson-Newman lost eight of nine matches.
Tuesday night's match can be seen in high definition on the Eagle Sports Network by visiting cneagles.com/live.
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