VIDEO: Ashley Tiernan Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – On a night where the senior class was honored for their contributions on and off of the floor, the group led the way in nearly every statistical category to win a third straight match to open 2021 sweeping Limestone in South Atlantic Conference play Saturday at Holt Fieldhouse 25-17, 25-20 and 25-21.
"There were a few rotations and situations where we six of our eight seniors are on the court," Carson-Newman coach Ashley Tiernan said. "I looked at my assistant and said that we have a lot of leadership. It was awesome to get all eight of our seniors a lot of playing time tonight. Every single one of them did their job and did their job well so I am super proud of them."
The Eagles are off to a 3-0 overall start for the third time in the last decade doing so in 2014 and 2018 while tallying three wins without a loss in SAC action for the first time since 2015 when the unit opened the year 4-0.
All 35 of the Eagles' kills came off of the hand of a senior with Erin Edwards (Midlothian, Va.) leading the charge with a match-high 12 kills producing a hitting percentage of .370 adding a late solo rejection.
"Yesterday I didn't have the performance that I wanted," Edwards said. "I knew it was senior night and I needed to bring the intensity that my team needed for us to win. It's a great feeling because we only get this night once ever so we had to make the most of this opportunity and win."
Megan Oldenburger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) was not far behind with eight smashes tacking on nine digs. Emily Harnischfeger (Macedon, N.Y.) led the unit in digs with 13 adding five kills and a pair of block assists.
Kaina Roehrkasse (Fort Collins, Colo.) filled up the stats with four kills on eight swings adding three blocks and six digs. Taylor Rohr (Windsor, Colo.) dished out 16 assists and added five digs.
Carson-Newman (3-0, 3-0) limited Limestone (0-2, 0-2) to a .000 hitting percentage with 6.5 blocks watching the Saints commit 24 attack errors as five players had multiple hitting miscues.
1⃣2⃣ @erinedwards31 kills
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 7, 2021
1⃣3⃣ @emilyharn digs
1⃣6⃣ @trohr14 assists
3⃣ @kainalope blocks@CarsonNewmanVB is 3-0 to start the year. pic.twitter.com/J2CvyrvfSK
The Eagles held the Saints to a negative margin in the first frame forcing eight attack errors. It was a one-point edge at 8-7 before a 14-5 sequence ballooned the bulge to 22-12 on a Limestone service error. Vanessa Blas blasted a ball out of bounds to cap a first-set C-N win.
In the second set, C-N appeared to be on the verge of running away with the set jumping out to a 10-3 led only to see the Saints use an 11-2 burst to go on top 14-12. The Eagles answered with four straight and went ahead 2-0 in the match by winning seven of the final 10.
Carson-Newman rolled out to a 6-3 edge in the third set only to see Limestone climb back into the contest and knot the tally at 16. Tiernan's club won the next four and fought off a late rally to win the match on a block by Edwards.
Madysen Williams led the Limestone offense with eight kills adding six digs. Abbey Baker dished out 21 assists and Bailey Carpenter led all players with 19 scoops.
The Eagles get a short break and hit the floor again for their first road match of the season on Tuesday for a Tuesday night tussle at UVA Wise. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
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