Carson-Newman Volleyball Match Notes
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – South Atlantic Conference play rolls on as Carson-Newman travels to Tusculum for a Tuesday evening outing against the Pioneers at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Arena.
"On Monday, we will come in and focus on what we have to get better at," Carson-Newman coach Dave Franklin said on Saturday. "From our experience against LMU last Tuesday it will help us be mentally focused knowing we are going to an opponent's gym who is competing for a conference tournament spot. Every win is going to be very valuable on their court. I think our kids will be better prepared this time knowing the energy we are about to walk into which should give us a better opportunity to win that match."
The Eagles are looking for a better beginning to the match having dropped the first frame 17 times in 22 matches on the year. Despite falling behind early, half of the contests C-N has played has needed four or five sets.
Tusculum (10-12, 5-9) snapped a four-match losing streak to Carson-Newman (3-19, 2-12) in the first meeting between the two sides on Sept. 27 winning in four sets to regain a four-match edge in the series holding a 29-25 lead in the first 54 meetings all-time.
Overall in the contest, Tusculum notched a .247 hitting percentage with 82 digs, five service aces and three total blocks compared to Carson-Newman's .128 clip, 70 digs a season-high 11 service aces and six total rejections.
Sophomore middle blocker Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) notched 11 kills while tallying a career-high seven digs for the third time in career.
Tusculum's Aubrey Hawkins led all players with 13 kills on the day with a .480 attack percentage while Hallie Zumack posted 23 assists and 12 digs.
The Pioneers have a 3-7 record in the month of October and dropped four-set contests at Mars Hill and at Brevard last week. The unit has a 2-6 record in road matches this season compared to a 6-5 mark at home.
Defense has been the dominant statistic for Tusculum this season ranking seventh in the country in total scoops with 1,555 and 20th in digs per set with 18.29.
Sophomore Melissa Mazur, a first-team All-SAC pick in 2015, in second in the country in scoops with 514 and ranks eighth in Division II with 6.05 digs per set.
Blocking on the other side has posed issues for the Pioneers ranking 243rd in the nation and 10th in the conference with 1.34 per game.
Laryssa Welch is the most productive offensive ranking 19th in the league in kills per set with 2.31 per game while hitting .269. Welch is one of four players averaging over two kills per game this season.
Tusculum is fourth in the SAC with 12.86 kills per set in conference matches while placing 26th in the United States with 1,131 total smashes in 2016.
The game will have a video stream and live stats set up for fans to follow along to the contest. Follow @CNathletics for further details of the road contest.
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