VIDEO: Cat Lind Recaps Erskine
VIDEO: Sights and Sounds vs Erskine
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Eagles started the 2021 season off on the right foot with two wins at home, knocking off Erskine 3-2 in the morning before defeating rival Tusculum for the first time ever in a shortened match 3-1.
GAME ONE: C-N 3, Erskine 2
For the first-time ever, the Eagles defeated a team from the palmetto state as Carson-Newman rallied to defeat the Flying Fleet from Due West by a score of 3-2.
"I'm so proud of us," says head coach Cat Lind. "We stayed in it the whole time. We have some stuff to work on but these girls trust the process and today it paid off."
The day started with a win for the Fleet as the pair of Allie Carter and Maisy Garner defeated Lauren Williams and Alanis Mendez at the no. five position in a three set affair 21-18, 19-21 and 15-8.
The Eagles answered with a sweep at the no. three position by Lindsey Geurin and Mia Toribio as they knocked off Kylie McKean and Alyssa Pagan 21-14 and 21-19. The decision is the first game win by a Carson-Newman beach volleyball pair at home since Morgan Siwiec and Grace Seymour knocked off Stevenson in three sets in a 4-1 loss to the Mustangs on April 7, 2019.
#CNBV wins their first set at home in almost two years, as Mia Toribio and Lindsey Geurin earn the 2-0 win against Erskine pic.twitter.com/e1RrpAmXP1
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 13, 2021
The Fleet responded with a win at the no. four position as Mallory Carter and Karina Petrovich held off a come back by Joy Rhodes and Siwiec to earn the second victory for Erskine in three sets, taking the game 21-12, 21-23, and 15-9.
Needing two straight wins to take the contest, the Eagle no. one pair of Megan Oldenburger and Summer Coulter came up clutch with a dominating sweep over Megan and Olivia Brown 21-17 and 21-9 to get Carson-Newman back into the match and tie it up at two points apiece.
"Those two girls are going to be missed a lot next year," says Lind. "Summer is one of our best leaders and Meg leads with her game. They played great today and that momentum helped our twos realize they were still in it."
#CNBV @oldenburgermeg and Summer Coulter with the sweep to tie the match at 2-2. pic.twitter.com/sdvHioMc91
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 13, 2021
At the no. two position, Abby Struewing and Sierra Still rallied after going down 15-21 after the first set to Emily Gilbert and Marissa Possenriede to win set two 21-19. The pair started the third set up 6-3 and went on a 6-0 run and never looked back, winning the final set 15-7 and closing out the match with a 3-2 victory.
This is the first victory in nine tries for the Eagles over a team from South Carolina and the first victory ever over Erskine. It is also the first time the team has started back-to-back seasons 1-0.
In the no. six position, Alyssa Johnson and Piper Halcrow earned an exhibition victory over Rae Stackley and Emily Alanis in three sets 17-21, 21-14 and 15-6.
GAME TWO: C-N 3, Tusculum 1
Mother nature was kind to the Eagles as a pre-match agreement and darkness helped paved the way for Carson-Newman to knock off rival Tusculum for the first time in program history.
Alanis Mendez and Lauren Williams gave Carson-Newman an early lead after winning at the no. five position 2-1 by scores of 21-18, 18-21 and squeaking out a 15-11 third set victory.
The Pioneers tied it back up at the no. four spot as Morgan Siwiec and Joy Rhodes fell in straight sets 21-19 and 21-19.
In the third straight marathon match of the afternoon, Lindsey Geurin and Mia Toribio held strong at the no. three position, rallying to earn the win in three sets over the 'Neers 17-21, 22-20 and 15-12.
With the sun going down and the clock ticking, both coaches agreed to play one more set to 25 with the no. two groups. In a hard-fought battle, Abby Streuwing and Sierra Still clinched their second match-winning victory of the afternoon with a 25-23 win.
This is the second straight season that the Carson-Newman beach volleyball team has started 2-0 and is the first victory over Tusculum in six tries. This is also the squads' first home victory since April 31, 2019, a 4-1 win over Eastern Kentucky.
The Eagles will head west on Tuesday to take on second-year program Chattanooga for a doubleheader. The first match begins at 5:00 PM.
