VIDEO: Dave Franklin Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman hops on the bus for South Atlantic Conference play to visit Lenoir-Rhyne Friday evening at 7 p.m. and Catawba Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. looking to build on a four-match winning streak.
The Eagles are seeking their fifth straight win. A win on Friday would mark the longest winning streak by Carson-Newman (12-10, 7-7) since Oct. 10-24, 2015 when the unit picked up seven straight victories.
"To see them persist," Carson-Newman coach Dave Franklin said. "For them to see the fruits of their labor and to keep grinding and keep improving is awesome to watch. It's fun to let them get rolling a little bit and see our young kids not be young kids anymore. They are players on the team and have those growing up moments. I think we are through those. I think you are starting to see that in their consistent play."
The Bears have won nine of the last 13 matchups since the start of the 2012 campaign after sweeping the Eagles earlier in the year. C-N still holds a 33-27 advantage in the series.
Two players in the match finished with at least 10 kills in the first outing, both on the home side of the net. Megan Oldenburger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) paced all athletes with 14 smashes to go along with nine digs. Marnie Streeter (Goldvein, Va.) produced 13 kills on a .333 attack percentage.
Since a six-match winning streak, Lenoir-Rhyne (9-9, 5-7) has hit the skids having lost seven of its last nine matches since Sept. 28. Of the 18 matches played in 2017, 10 have been decided in straight sets with just one five-set contest.
The Bears are atop the conference and fifth in the country in blocks per set with 2.66 as a unit. Seven times this year, L-R has crested double-digit rejections in a match but has averaged seven per outing over its last four. Jaclyn Denny, who had three blocks in the first meeting, leads the conference with 1.18 on the year.
"They're physical to begin with," Franklin assessed. "They always align themselves extremely well. If our outsides and pin hitters are seeing the block they should be able to hit around it. That's going to come down to us but if you make a mistake they make you pay for it."
Brooke Redmond is the team's leader on the pins with 3.05 kills per set, sixth in the SAC. The senior has been limited in league action with 2.80 per frame and a hitting percentage of .156.
C-N renews their oldest rivalry Saturday against Catawba (3-15, 1-13) as the two schools meet for the 65th time The Indians hold the lead at 37-27 that includes a mark of 19-10 on its home floor. C-N has won seven of the last nine outings after picking up a sweep on Sept. 23.
The Eagles were led by 18 kills from Streeter who posted a career-high .405 attack percentage on 37 swings. A pair of players notched a double-double for C-N as Anna Patton (Franklin, Tenn.) posted 15 digs and 12 assists. Oldenburger racked up 11 kills and 15 digs with two service aces.
Catawba enters play this weekend having dropped 13 consecutive matches, the ninth-longest active losing streak in the country and one of 15 teams that have lost 10 or more games in-a-row. Eight of the 13 setbacks have come in three sets while the Indians have forced five sets on just one occasion, Oct. 7 versus Newberry. The last win came on Sept. 15 at Mars Hill when the Indians captured a four-set win.
The Indians have been one of the least efficient offensive teams in the country this season recording a league-low .121 attack percentage. Catawba has hit over .200 just one time this season compared to hitting below .100 eight times.
There not one player on the roster that ranks inside of the top 30 in the SAC in kills per set. Setter Rachel Stanford is the team's leader guiding the offense to 6.14 assists per set. The senior is one of 15 players in the country to post a triple-double doing so on Oct. 17 against Newberry. She posted 26 assists, 15 kills and 13 digs while racking up 2.5 blocks in a five-set loss.
Friday's match will be broadcast on the Bears Sports Network with live stats available for fans. Supporters can follow @CNathletics on Twitter and Instagram for the latest information from weekend play.
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