PENSACOLA, Fla. – RV Carson-Newman captured the first set of 2016 25-16 before the defending national champions took the final three sets, 25-17, 25-11 and 25-12 as No. 2 Wheeling Jesuit handed the Eagles their first loss of the 2016 season Friday morning at UWF Field House.
The loss is just the second time in the last 11 seasons that the Eagles dropped their season opener with the other time coming in 2012 when Francis Marion earned a five-set win.
The Cardinals hit .000 in the first set while the Eagles posted a .269 attack percentage. C-N was up 10-8 and used a 6-1 surge to take control of the opening frame. A kill from sophomore right side Allie Foster (Johnson City, Tenn.) capped the set with the final of her three kills and put the Eagles ahead 1-0.
The second stanza saw four ties and four lead changes. With Wheeling Jesuit ahead 12-8, Carson-Newman stormed back winning five of the next six points to even the score at 13. The Cards pushed ahead by two points at 18-16 before winning seven of the final eight rallies to even the match.
The second-ranked team in the nation wasted no time in the third set racing out to an 11-3 advantage. The Eagles chipped away at the deficit but saw the Cards hit .424 on 17 kills in the frame to take the set 25-11.
In the fourth frame, the two sides were deadlocked at eight, one of six ties in the set before the Cardinals won 11 of the next 12 points to go ahead 19-9 before closing out the match on a kill by Lauren Graves.
Carson-Newman collected seven blocks compared to five for Wheeling Jesuit. The Eagles hit .101 with seven service aces and 45 digs while the Cardinals notched a .279 hitting percentage, eight service aces and 57 digs.
Junior setter Anna Patton (Franklin, Tenn.) picked up her 17th career double-double as she finished with 24 assists and 10 digs to go along with three service aces and two block assists.
Freshman outside hitter Marnie Streeter (Goldvein, Va.) led C-N's offensive attack with nine kills while sophomore middle blocker Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) collected seven kills and 2.5 total blocks.
Andrea Throbe jumpstarted WJU's offense with 44 assists and 11 digs while Haley Kindall and Breanna Kramer tallied 15 and 11 kills each.
Carson-Newman finishes play on the first day of the Hampton Inn-Vitational at 3 p.m. when the Eagles face ninth-ranked Central Missouri.
