HICKORY, N.C. – Returning to the court for the first time in 10 days, Carson-Newman treks to North Carolina to resume South Atlantic Conference action Friday at 7 p.m. at Lenoir-Rhyne and Saturday at 2 p.m. at Mars Hill.
For the fourth time in school history, the Eagles are 4-0 to open up a season looking for a 5-0 open to a campaign for the first time since 2010. The only year that the Orange and Blue were better than 5-0 was in 2007 when the team opened the year with 13 straight wins before suffering a setback.
With all of the matches in 2021 being SAC contests, the team is 4-0 to start league action for the first time since 2007 when it started the year 5-0. There is only one occasion in the program's history with a start better than 5-0 and it came during the 2002 championship season that saw the unit open the season 9-0 en route to a 13-1 regular-season mark.
Friday evening is the 67th meeting with Carson-Newman (4-0, 4-0) leading the all-time series 40-26 behind a six-match winning streak that has featured a trio of sweeps. The last time the Bears won a match came at Mossy Creek on Sept. 22, 2017 in straight sets.
The Eagles have won 12 of the last 13 sets played between the two schools after winning in four sets at Holt Fieldhouse on Nov. 9, 2019 behind 14 kills from Marnie Streeter and 24 assists by Elena Vasquez.
All five of the matches Lenoir-Rhyne (2-3, 2-3) has played this year has ended in straight sets with losses in three of the last four. Opponents have accumulated a .170 hitting percentage against the team's defense, ranking seventh in the league.
Rachel Bewick is sixth in the SAC in digs per set piling up 4.33 on average this year despite tallying two matches with eight total scoops. She had a season-high 23 against Wingate in a three-set loss to the league's top attacking club.
Preseason first-team all-conference pick Taylor Prall has been ultra efficient with a .231 hitting clip averaging 4.33 kills per set, the best number in the SAC. She has had double digits in every match she has played with a pair of double-doubles.
Mars Hill (3-1, 3-1) and C-N are slated to tangle for the 66th time with the Eagles holding a 41-25 lead after a pair of wins in 2019. Producing its highest kill total in a three-set match in 2019, Carson-Newman reset the program record for home wins in a year sweeping the Lions in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals. Coach Ashley Tiernan's team tallied 58 kills as five different players notched at least six kills.
The Lions have won nine of 10 sets in their wins but were swept by Anderson on March 9. Once again a stingy defensive club, the unit is second in the league with 18.7 digs per set. Preseason first-team All-SAC pick Ully Martins leads the way with 5.69 per set this year, No. 20 in the country. She is coming off of a season-high 33 in a four-set win over Queens.
Jana Culk is 19th nationally with 4.54 points per game this year pounding out a .435 hitting percentage that is ninth in Division II. She has double-digit kills in three of four matches with six total aces, five solo blocks and a total eight rejections.
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