Eagles Advance to Their Best Start in Three Years After Wins Against Truett McConnell and LaGrange
Carson-Newman picks up a pair of wins on Saturday against LaGrange College and Truett McConnell University. The Eagles are now 4-0 for the first time since the shortened 2020 season when the Eagles finished 6-1.
LAGRANGE, Ga. - Carson-Newman picks up a pair of wins on Saturday against LaGrange College and Truett McConnell University. The Eagles are now 4-0 for the first time since the shortened 2020 season when the Eagles finished 6-1.
"This was a great opening weekend for our season," head coach Cat Lind said. " I saw some really great things from each pair, and I am proud of the growth we had."
C-N vs. LaGrange: 5-0
Truth Hafey and Sierra Still started the day with 21-8 and 21-9 victories over LaGrange's Bailey Moss and Zentrina Choice. Hafey and Still ended the weekend outscoring their opponents 84-39.
Abbey Hildenbrand and Ava Fountain won in two sets of 21-9. The win marks their second row with identical scores in each set.
Julia Wheeler and McKenna Hall defeated Morgan Martin and Alexis Childers in the number three spot. Wheeler and Hall dominated the first set 21-8. The Eagles duo won the second set 21-5 in the weekend's largest margin of victory.
Taylor Keeran and Kenzie Palmer ended any chance for the Panthers to win a single set against the Eagles with a pair of 21-11 wins.
LaGrange forfeited the final set due to a lack of available players. Ashlyn Phair and Piper Halcrow competed in an exhibition match against the panthers, winning 21-10 and 21-14.
The Eagles outscored LaGrange 168-70 on the day and 383-170 on the weekend.
Carson-Newman moves to 3-0 all-time against the Panthers. The Eagles have now won each game against the Panthers with a score of 5-0. Carson-Newman will face LaGrange a third time this season next Friday, Feb. 10th.
C-N vs. Truett McConnell: 5-0
Still and Hafey remained in the one spot for the Eagles in their second action of the day. The pair won 21-18 in their first set, marking their lowest victory margin of the young season. The duo bounced back in the second set to win 21-9.
Hildenbrand and Fountain won their second match of the day 21-14 and 21-18. After four wins this weekend, Hildenbrand now has a positive career record of 18-16 in beach volleyball action.
Wheeler and Hall won in a pair of 21-15 sets. The dominant duo outscored their opponents 86-43 on the day.
Keeran and Palmer filled out the four spot for the Eagles. The duo won in two sets of 21-14. Keeran ties with Abby Struewing (22) for the fifth most wins in program history.
Phair and Halcrow saw their first meaningful action of the day in the five spot for the Eagles. The pair cruised by the Bears in their first set with a score of 21-14. The Eagles duo won the second set in a tough-fought 22-20 win.
Kat Nelson and Calla Shotwell saw their first action of the day in an exhibition match against a pair of bears. The Eagles pair played the most contested sets of the day with narrow victories of 22-20 and 21-18.
Carson-Newman advances to 2-0 all-time against Truett McConnell after yesterday's 5-0 sweep on the bears. Carson-Newman will play Truett McConnell in seven days on Feb. 11th. Truett McConnell has lost 21 out of their last 33 matches by 5-0 sweeps.
"We learned a lot from this weekend about each other. We are eager to get back to work for next weekend," Lind said.
The Eagles begin the year 4-0 for the first time since the shortened 2020 season when the Eagles finished the year 6-1.
Carson-Newman returns to action on Friday, Feb. 10th, against LaGrange College and St. Andrews University before playing Huntingdon and Truett McConnell on the 11th.
For more updates on Carson-Newman's beach volleyball team, visit CNEagles.com, or follow Carson-Newman athletics on social media.
