VIDEO: Dave Franklin Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – A familiar foe awaits seventh-seeded Carson-Newman in the 2017 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championships Thursday at noon inside of Flagler Gymnasium in the Sunshine State as the Eagles challenge second-seeded Wingate in the opening round.
"It's a team as we have progressed over the last five or six weeks that the offense has gotten better," Carson-Newman coach Dave Franklin said. "We have gotten more comfortable against teams of this caliber. We are able to go through their runs and mentally be able to sustain ourselves to continue to chop the tree as we call it. I'm looking forward to a really good match."
2017 is the seventh trip to the NCAA Playoffs for Carson-Newman (17-14) as the unit is 6-6. In each of the program's last four journeys to the NCAA Playoffs, C-N has won at least one match. In 2015, the Eagles brought home their first region championship beating Armstrong State, Erskine and Lenoir-Rhyne en route to the National Quarterfinals.
It is the second time that C-N squares off against Wingate (25-3) in the NCAA Tournament with the other meeting coming in the second round on Nov. 21, 2009 at Wingate's Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs picked up a sweep 25-22, 25-16 and 25-19. Wingate hit .389 as Lauren Billo led all players with 15 kills on a .423 hitting clip. Stormi Gale picked up 13 for coach Shelton Collier's group. Carly Mozgai made just two attack errors with a team-high 10 kills. Stephanie Cutter handed out 24 assists to help the Eagles hit .253 as a unit. Jessica Schachleiter had nine kills and 11 digs.
C-N has played a fellow SAC school four times in the tournament going 3-2 in those matches having won two straight since the setback to the Bulldogs in 2009.
Thursday is the 62nd all-time meeting between the two programs and seventh on a neutral floor. Wingate holds the all-time lead 47-14 and holds a 5-1 mark in neutral contests. The lone neutral site victory for the Eagles came on Oct. 28, 2000 in the SAC semifinals as C-N won the league tournament for the first time.
Winners of six straight in the all-time series, the Bulldogs picked up a pair of sweeps in the regular season contests played between the two schools this season. After not producing a double-digit kill producer in the first match, Megan Oldenburger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Marnie Streeter (Goldvein, Va.) went for 15 and 11 respectively in the second contest.
The middle combination of second-team all-region pick Anna Holmquist and second-team All-SAC selection Phoebe Havenaar totaled 38 kills with just four hitting miscues to post a .523 hitting clip against the Eagles on the season.
Wingate is in the field for the 13th straight season after finishing second in the league's regular season and losing in the semifinals to Queens (N.C.). This season was the first time since 2005 that the Bulldogs did not claim a regular season or tournament title.
This season is the fourth time since 2008 that the region will not be played on Wingate's home floor and third in the last four years. The Bulldogs were first-round exits in 2015 and 2016 on USC Aiken's court. Prior to that Wingate played away from home in 2012 in Savannah, Ga. winning the Southeast Region title.
"I think at the beginning of the match it's going to be about weathering the storm," Franklin stated. "Feeling the emotions and the adrenaline rush for the first time. If we are able to control and execute the basics of volleyball – hit the ball in bounds, serve the ball in bounds – and get into the flow of the match, it's going to be a big deal for us just to see where we are at mentally."
Collier's unit has been a top-three seed every season since 2008 registering four Southeast Region crowns since 2010 and being one of the final 16 teams standing in six of the last eight years.
The top offense in the league averaged 15.11 kills per set, third in the nation, and hit .280 as a group, eighth in Division II. Foes are producing a .122 hitting margin a tally that is 17th in the national rankings.
Katie Bludau was named the SAC Player of the year and is one of two players named to all-region units. The senior outside hitter led the league in kills per set with 4.26, 17th in the country. Bludau has 22 matches with double-digit smashes. In two matches against the Eagles, she posted 35 kills hitting .318.
Flagler has tournament central page with all of the live stat and live video information available for the weekend as fans can watch the match on YouTube. Follow @CNathletics on Twitter for the latest information and in-match updates.
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