JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Sierra Still, Morgan Siwiec, and Mia Toribio all advance to 20 career wins as Carson-Newman sweeps conference rival Catawba College in a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles knocked off Catawba 4-1 in the opening match before sweeping the Indians 5-0 in the nightcap.
Game One: Carson-Newman 4, Catawba 1
Geurin and Keeran secured the first win of the day as they beat Molly Mather and Ruby Moore in a three-set victory. The sand Eagles won the first set 21-17, but then fell in the second 17-21. The pair capped off the win with an overtime set of 15-10.
Christina Knotts and Hayes Smith notch the only win for the Catawba College Indians in a thrilling two set match against Julia Wheeler and Kenzie Palmer. Knotts and Smith finished the first set with a score of 21-18. The second set of the match finished with a whopping score of 36-34, the highest scoring set for the Eagles so far this season.
Morgan Siwiec earns her 20th career win, as her and McKenna Hall win a three-set match over Ashley Johnson and Morgan Childress. The first set didn't go as planned for the Eagles, as they fell 12-21. The Eagles were able to recapture the momentum as they won the second match 21-13. The final overtime set came down to the wire as the Eagles squeezed out a 15-13 win.
Hildenbrand and Ille were able to carry the momentum forward for the Eagles as they won in two sets against Kane and Miranda in sets of 21-14 and 21-18.
In the no. 1 position, Mia Toribio and Sierra Still capture the 4-1 win against Catawba. Medich and Colon fell in sets of 21-18 and 21-11.
Still advances to 20 wins in just two seasons as an Eagle. This win marks the third 4-1 victory for the Eagles over Catawba this season.
Game Two: Carson-Newman 5, Catawba 0
Carson-Newman advances to 10-4 on the season after their second win of the day against Catawba. Carson-Newman won each match in just two sets during the second game. The Eagles move to 4-0 on the season against their foes from Salisbury.
Starting in the no. 5 position, Keeran and Geurin were able to win in two sets as they bested Mather and Moore in sets of 21-9 and 21-14. Geurin wins her 26th match as she looks to further solidify her all-time wins record for Carson-Newman.
Palmer was able to get her revenge in the second game as her and Siwiec defeat Knotts and Smith in back-to-back sets. The Eagles duo won the set 21-15, and the second set at 21-10. On the day, the no. 4 position played a total of 176 points, as the Eagles duo held the advantage at 94-82 for the day.
McKenna Hall switches to the no. 3 position in the second game as her and Piper Halcrow defeat Ashley Johnson and Morgan Childress in sets of 21-8 and 21-11.
Abby Hildenbrand and Jenny Ille won their second match of the day in the no. 2 position against Miranda and Kane. Their second game finished with the same score as the first with sets of 21-14 and 21-18.
Mia Toribio is the third Eagle of the day to reach 20 career wins, as her and Still win the final sets of the day against Medich and Colon in two easy sets of 21-10 and 21-5. Still and Toribio dominated in the no. one position as they finished the day with a point total of 84 to Catawba College's no one position's 44.
"We had a little bit of a shaky start, but ultimately just proud the players," says head beach volleyball coach Cat Lind. "They've worked so hard, they are committed to trusting the process and stepped up today."
The Eagles win their third straight game, and their 10th win of the season to advance to a 10-4 record. Catawba falls to 1-8-1 after losing eight straight matches.
The two wins bring Carson-Newman to just one win away from their all-time single season wins record of 11 wins from 2016 when the team went 11-12 on the year.
Carson-Newman will travel to Macon, Georgia to play in a two-day series that will feature two division one opponents in Mercer University and Jacksonville University. The Eagles will finish off the weekend by playing junior college foe State College of Florida and fellow division two opponent Saint Leo University.
