VIDEO: Dan Ahiers Interview

Carson-Newman Volleyball Match Notes

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In a return to Holt Fieldhouse, the Carson-Newman Eagles (15-5, 11-1 South Atlantic Conference) host a trio of contests in the friendly confines. The Queens (N.C.) Royals (5-15, 2-10 SAC) begin the weekend with a 7 p.m. first serve Friday night. Saturday afternoon begins with a 1:00 p.m. start versus the Catawba Indians (5-12, 3-9 SAC) before nonconference foe Belmont Abbey (8-12) concludes the weekend at 5 p.m.

"Queens and Catawba both us really well when we were on the road," head coach Dan Ahiers said of the weekend. "We're excited to get them here. We were saying 'what we were yesterday is not who we want to be in the future so are we getting better or just maintaining' so it will be a good test to see how much better we are getting."

Carson-Newman finishes the regular season with eight of 11 matches at home after winning its first eight road conference matches of the year.

A big reason the Eagles have been successful is a fortified block that is averaging 2.04 blocks per set this season. The benchmark is the highest by a Carson-Newman team since the 2011 unit put up 2.6 per set. Ahiers' group has pieced together six matches with 10 blocks or more.

"We are a really athletic team," Ahiers said of the blocking prowess. "When you have such an athletic team, they're going to be great blockers. They have a real mindset this year of they are the front line of defense and whether they get the block or not, they make strong blocking moves to help the defense."

Senior middle blocker Jenna Wilson (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) has contributed heavily to a stout front line as she is averaging 1.10 blocks per set ranking 39^th nationally in that category. Junior middle blocker Kiayna O'Neal (Katy, Texas) has maintained the high standard when Wilson is off of the court with 49 total blocks this season, 10^th in the league.

Queens and Carson-Newman will tangle for the sixth time in the series history as the Eagles swept the Royals in Charlotte, N.C. on September 19 in a match that saw Carson-Newman hit .286 while holding Queens to a .019 clip.

Senior outside hitter Rachel Harper (Chattanooga, Tenn.) hit .500 with 13 kills and six digs to lead all players.

Catawba holds a 32-23 advantage in the all-time series, but Carson-Newman swept the Indians on September 20. Wilson led the way for the Eagles with 11 kills on a .500 hitting percentage and two blocks.

Belmont Abbey and Carson-Newman will face off for just the second time with the lone previous meeting coming on September 2, 2011 as the Eagles went on for a three-set victory. The final tally saw the Eagles win 25-23, 25-14 and 26-24 in the lidlifter at the Francis Marion Invitational. Senior setter Kristen Pickett (Cleveland, Tenn.) had 14 assists in the match.

All three games are available on cneagles.com/live with live statistics and a video stream.

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