VIDEO: Dan Ahiers Interview

Carson-Newman Volleyball Match Notes

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – A pair of home games are on the docket for the Carson-Newman Eagles (10-3, 6-0 South Atlantic Conference) who have their longest winning streak in three years matching a six-game winning streak at the beginning of October 2011. The Coker Cobras (3-10, 0-6 SAC) come to Holt Fieldhouse Friday night for a 7:00 p.m. first serve while the No. 10 Wingate Bulldogs (13-1, 6-0) are here for a 5:00 p.m. start Saturday.

"We are doing everything in our power to make it a full house," head coach Dan Ahiers said of the crowd expectations for the first weekend matches of the year. "We are hoping a lot of the fans [from football] will come in here. We want it to be absolutely suffocating in there for Wingate."

One of the biggest reasons for the turnaround for the Eagles is opponent attack percentage. Last season, foes hit .211 against Carson-Newman including a .227 mark in conference play. This year, the Eagles are yielding a .136 attack percentage, 36^th in the country. In league play, SAC teams are hitting just .106 against Carson-Newman this season.

"We make a real effort to play strong defense," Ahiers said of the low marks. "Defense is about energy and effort. That's one of the trademarks of what we want to be. We want to teams to know that nothing is going to come easy."

The Eagles ranks fourth in the conference with 96 total blocks this season while senior middle blocker Jenna Wilson (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) is second in the SAC with 47 total blocks and is 26^th nationally averaging 1.15 blocks per set.

This weekend brings a stark contrast in opponents with Coker looking to find its way while Wingate is hoping to continue its dominance.

Coker joined the conference last season and is still looking for its first win in conference player after going 0-22 a season ago. The Eagles won both matches last season including a four-set win at Holt Fieldhouse. Four Eagles hit in double figures in a match that Carson-Newman hit .321 as a team.

Wingate, on the other hand, has controlled the SAC over recent seasons having gone 126-2 in SAC regular season matches since 2006 and enter the weekend on a 43 match winning streak in league play. The Bulldogs last loss in league play was a four-set loss at Lenoir-Rhyne on September 21, 2012.

This weekend marks the 54^th all-time meeting between Carson-Newman and Wingate with the Bulldogs holding a 40-13 lead. The Bulldogs have won 24 straight matches against the Eagles with Carson-Newman's last win against Wingate coming in a five-set win on September 24, 2005.

The Bulldogs are efficient ranking fourth in the nation with a .286 attack percentage and have a pair of players ranked in the top five in the league in attack percentage. Abby Saehler's .381 mark ranks third while Lexi Potter's .366 tally puts her in fourth place.

Both matches this weekend are available in high definition on the Eagle Sports Network by visiting cneagles.com/live.

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