WISE, Va. – Carson-Newman tallied its highest hitting percentage since Nov. 19, 2019 to extend its winning streak to four matches to begin the year taking down UVA Wise in four sets, 25-16, 25-10, 24-26 and 25-13, Tuesday at the Prior Center in South Atlantic Conference action.
"We are grateful to be 4-0 right now and will continue to look forward to what comes next for us," Carson-Newman coach Ashley Tiernan said. "I am happy with the performance my athletes gave during the last set and saw a competitive drive that we will need to continue to have for the rest of the season."
Carson-Newman (4-0, 4-0) is off to its best start in a season since the 2010 campaign matching the top open to a league slate since 2015 producing its most efficient match of the year with a .265 clip and 53 kills.
Megan Oldenburger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) continues to make her push towards 1,000 career kills with a match-high 14 bringing her career tally to 971. She hit .278 with six digs and three service aces.
Emily Harnischfeger (Macedon, N.Y.) produced her first double-digit kill match since her rookie season tallying 11 on a .375 hitting clip adding eight digs.
Hayden Barton (Hixson, Tenn.) led all players with 19 digs. Taylor Rohr (Windsor, Colo.) added 18 assists and five digs and fellow setter Madison Rademacher (Broomfield, Colo.) chipped in 14 assists and four scoops.
Conversely, UVA Wise (0-4, 0-4) saw its losing streak stretch to 30 matches, the second-lowest active string in the country. The Eagles have won both meetings played between the two programs.
1⃣4⃣ @oldenburgermeg kills
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 10, 2021
1⃣9⃣ @hbarton12 digs
1⃣8⃣ @trohr14 assists
3⃣ Ella Gay blocks
☑️ @CarsonNewmanVB win pic.twitter.com/E8Gpib2XGq
Wise appeared to be in control in the first ahead 9-8 only to see the Eagles rip off nine of the next 10 points to take charge 17-10 on an ace by Roehrkasse. C-N capped the first frame by taking the final three points with Oldenburger pounding a kill to put the visitors on top 1-0.
In the second stanza, the Cavaliers were neck-and-neck once again early trailing 5-4 before Carson-Newman found a burst reeling off 20 of the final 26 points of the set including two 5-0 sequences to win the game on a blast from Taylor Keeran (Gailon, Ohio).
Entering Tuesday night's action, UVA Wise had not touched 20 points in any set this year led wire-to-wire minus two ties to the take the second charging out to a 5-1 lead. It was a 24-20 game when Oldenburger helped the Eagles rattle off four straight with her serve. However back-to-back misfires by the Eagles sealed the first set win of the year for the Cavaliers.
Tiernan's club promptly fired back in the fourth set racing out to a 10-4 lead with Wise winning consecutive points twice the rest of the way. The Eagles won seven of the final eight rallies of the night closing it out on an attack error from Meagan Blagg.
UVA Wise settled for a .053 hitting percentage on the night despite hitting below zero through the first two sets. Adison Minor was the lone player in double figures for the home club with a dozen on 37 cuts.
Makayla Ledford posted a double-double with 31 assists and 11 digs adding a couple kills and a pair of block assists. Four Cavaliers finished with 10-plus scoops led by 13 apiece from Rylee Waye and Matelyn Gibson.
The Eagles get some time off before returning to the court on March 19 when the unit continues a five-match road trip with a visit to Hickory, N.C. to take on Lenoir-Rhyne at 7 p.m.
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