Pioneers overcome 2-1 deficit to topple C-N

Box Score (PDF)

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Despite going ahead 2-1 in the match, Carson-Newman could not put the finishing touches on Tusculum falling in five sets, 14-25, 25-20, 25-15, 12-25 and 10-15, Friday night at Pioneer Arena in South Atlantic Conference play.

"They were a great team," Carson-Newman coach Ashley Tiernan said. "We had great moments but we did not play an overall great game. We will come in tomorrow more disciplined and ready to step on the gas."

Friday night was the 15th time in the series history that the teams have needed five sets with Tusculum (9-1, 5-0) winning for the 11th time and seventh in a row. Carson-Newman (6-7, 2-2) last won a five-set contest against the Pioneers on Oct. 20, 2009 at Pioneer Arena.

Julia Wheeler (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) paced the Eagles with 11 kills adding 11 digs and four service aces for her fourth double-double of the year. Abbey Hildenbrand (Parker, Colo.) added her fifth double-double in 2021 with 26 assists and 11 digs.

No other C-N player tallied more than six kills on the night. Hayden Barton (Hixson, Tenn.) led the back line with 17 digs. All told, the team hit .110 with 38 kills, 61 digs, nine aces and three blocks.

The Eagles trailed by a point, 5-4, in the first before the Pioneers rattled off eight of the next 10 to jump out on top 13-6. C-N would not win back-to-back points again until closing the gap to 21-13 dropping the game on the team's third attack error of the first.

Despite recording as many kills as errors, 10, in the second stanza, the Eagles prevailed. The Orange and Blue fell behind 11-5 before winning five straight with the teams trading blows until the Pioneers went on top 19-17. Carson-Newman responded by winning six straight and eight of nine to seal the set on a kill from Wheeler.

After falling behind 3-0 in the third, the Eagles scored five straight to take a lead that it would never look back on busting open a 14-11 edge into a nine-point lead behind six straight points. McKenna Hall (Bristol, Wis.) polished off the game with a kill down the line.

With the score tied at six in the fourth, Tusculum won four straight to take the lead and never relinquished the upper handed using 5-0 and 4-0 bursts down the stretch to secure a 25-12 win on an ace from Elise Carmichael.

Carson-Newman never found its footing in the fifth falling in a 4-0 hole and 7-2 deficit before chipping away to cut it to 11-9 on a blast from Wheeler. After trading points, Tusculum won the final three points to secure the win.

The Eagles had won five of the last seven meetings entering Friday night with the last three Pioneers wins coming in five frames. Fifteen aces highlighted the night for the home team with Carmichael notching six adding 26 assists.

Three Pioneers finished in double figures of kills led by 13 from Carly Pigza. Emiah Burrowes registered 10 blasts adding a team-high 20 digs and Payton Gash also had 10. Carly Sosnowski produced 19 digs.

Tusculum hit .500 in the fifth set with eight kills totaling a .179 percentage with 50 smashes adding 65 digs and nine blocks.

The Eagles are back in action on Saturday returning home to host UVA at 2 p.m. Fans can tune into the broadcast on cneagles.com/live for the live stream on the Eagle Sports Network.

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