VIDEO: Dan Ahiers Interview

VIDEO: Kyrie Pennington Interview

VIDEO: Jenna Wilson Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – There was no letdown at Holt Fieldhouse Tuesday night as the Carson-Newman Eagles (23-5, 18-2 South Atlantic Conference) defeated the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters (16-12, 12-8 SAC) 25-15, 25-18 and 28-26.

"I'm really proud of my team," head coach Dan Ahiers said. "LMU is a great team that is very well-coached. They have some great athletes and incredible volleyball players and to sweep them twice this year is an incredible feat."

Carson-Newman surged out of the blocks taking a 10-3 lead as senior middle blocker Jenna Wilson (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) had four kills. It was a lead the Eagles held as they never led by fewer than five points the rest of the way concluding the set on a 4-0 run. Wilson had six kills while freshman outside hitter Kyrie Pennington (Charlotte, N.C.) tallied five kills.

The score was tied at six in the second stanza before the Eagles used a 4-0 spurt to take the lead for good. Carson-Newman did not rattle off more than three points in succession the rest of the way by closed the frame on a kill by Wilson. Senior setter Kristen Pickett (Cleveland, Tenn.) dished out 12 assists to go along with five digs.

The third game was the most competitive of the night featuring 10 ties and seven lead changes. Lincoln Memorial led most of the way to start the set before the Eagles tied the score at 13 and used a 6-1 run to take a 16-14 lead. The largest lead for the home team was three points. The score was knotted at 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 as the Eagles had to stave off two set points to capture the match on a service ace by junior libero Kristina Hill (Lake Orion, Mich.)

Pickett had her 11^th double-double of the season with 41 assists and 12 digs to help Carson-Newman hit .265.

Wilson led all players with 14 kills and a .433 attack percentage with three block assists.

"After our big win, we had to celebrate for a little bit and refocus knowing that we have three games to finish out the season," Wilson said. "We were able to shift focus and do well tonight too."

Pennington was the only other player in the match to notch double-digit kills with 11 to go along with 10 digs, her first double-double of her career.

"It was great," Pennington said. "My team really helped me out. Our setter Kristen Pickett helped me get in rhythm and helped me work through my hits and that helped a lot."

Kiera Holland led the Railsplitters with nine kills and 16 digs.

Carson-Newman concludes regular season play this weekend at Holt Fieldhouse against Anderson (S.C.) Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and Newberry Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.

- CN -