SALISBURY, N.C. - Carson-Newman beach volleyball (23-4) closed out their regular season by splitting a pair of matches at the SAC Beach Challenge. The Eagles lost to Tusculum 3-1 but defeated Catawba 5-0.
"As a whole, we made too many unforced errors," head coach Cat Lind said. "The weather played a big role in a lot of our errors, but we didn't adapt well against Tusculum. We played well and had better communication against Catawba."
The Eagles finished the regular season with a program record of 22 wins. Their 5-0 shutout over Catawba marks their 17th shutout of the season, easily eclipsing the previous record of five in a season.
"I am proud of how we finished our day," Lind said. "We have some work to do before Nationals, but this team is special. We have to show up every day."
Game One: C-N 1, Tusculum 3
Mia Toribio and Taylor Keeran took on Kassidy Mercado and Morgan Pacione. The Eagles ran away with the first set 21-6, but the Pioneers rallied in the second set to win 21-14. The Eagles recaptured the momentum in the third to win 15-9.
Sierra Still and Truth Hafey competed in their final regular season sets when they took on Emma Johnson and Hannah Marsh. The Pioneers won 21-18 and 21-16. The Eagles will head into the postseason after finishing 19-7 as Carson-Newman's one pair. Their 19 wins is a program record for wins in a season as the one pair.
McKenna Hall and Julia Wheeler lost to Charlyn Miller and Katie McLamb in sets of 21-18 and 21-13. Piper Halcrow and Jenny Ille rounded out the starting lineup as Carson-Newman's five pair. The Eagles lost 21-18 and 21-10 to Kyla Oppenhuis and Landry Tea.
Ava Fountain and Abbey Hildenbrand lined up as the two pair for the Eagles, but did not finish the set due to Tusculum clinching the game.
The loss marks Carson-Newman's fourth of the year, the fewest losses since the Covid-19 season when the Eagles finished 6-1.
Game Two: C-N 3, Catawba 0
The Eagles competed until one of the two teams clinched the match. The Eagles were able to capture the match after just three sets.
Toribio and Keeran lined up as Carson-Newman's three pair for the 19th time this season. The Eagles won 21-12 and 21-17 against Hayes Smith and Katie Willingham to mark their 13th win.
Hall and Wheeler captured their 25th win of the season when they took on Maggie Marable and Kennedy Kimbro. The Eagles won 21-12 and 21-17. Hall and Wheeler's 25 wins is the current record for the most in a season, surpassing Morgan Siwiec's former record of 20 wins set last season.
Jenny Ille and Piper Halcrow closed their regular season against Molly Mather and Ragan Ball. The Eagles won 21-16 and 21-12. Ille and Halcrow were 12-3 as a pair this season.
Carson-Newman's beach volleyball team will prepare to begin the postseason starting on Apr. 14th at the AVCA Small College Tournament in Tavares, Florida. A 3-2 win over Tusculum last season marked Carson-Newman's first postseason victory in 1090 days. The Eagles ended the tournament as the fourth-place team.
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