TAVARES Fl. - Carson-Newman's beach volleyball season comes to an end after day three at the AVCA Small College Championship. Carson-Newman dropped a pair of matches against Spring Hill College (16-13) and Texas A&M at Kingsville (12-18).
"Today wasn't how we wanted to finish, but I am proud of this team," beach volleyball head coach Cat Lind said. "They worked hard all season and showed great improvement."
Carson-Newman was placed in the silver bracket for day three's action. The Eagles squared off against Spring Hill College in the first round but lost 3-0. Lind's squad moved on to compete against Texas A&M at Kingsville for third place in the silver bracket, but the Eagles fell 3-0 to notch just their eighth loss of the season.
"We had a historic season, the best season in program history. That is something that each player should be very proud of," Lind said.
Game One: SHC 3, C-N 0
The two sides competed until one side clinched the match. The Badgers clinched after just three sets.
Mia Toribio and Taylor Keeran lined up as Carson-Newman's three paid for the 27th time this 24th time this season to take on Kyla Shappell and Linnea Beger. The Badgers won 21-17 and 21-6.
McKenna Hall and Julia Wheeler lined up in the four spot to play against Brooke Brogmeyer and Elizabeth Hardouin. The Badgers won 21-19 and 21-13. Hall and Wheeler will enter their final matchup of the season with a 26-5 record as a pair.
Piper Halcrow and Kenzie Palmer saw Jordan Atchinson and Lily Mascari in the five spot. The Badgers won 21-14 and 21-12.
The Eagles will take on Texas A&M at Kingsville (11-18) for third place in the silver bracket at the IVCA Small College Championship.
Game Two: TAMUK 3, C-N 0
Taylor Keeran and Mia Toribio lined up as Carson-Newman's three-pair against Grace Gettys and Olivia Zeigler. The Javelinas won 21-16 and 21-17.
McKenna Hall and Julia Wheeler fell to Meghan Stiefer and Kalani Vasquez in the four spot. The Javelinas won 21-17 and 21-12.
Piper Halcrow and Kenzie Palmer filled the five spot for the Eagles but lost 21-7 and 21-11 to Jackie Alanis and Taylor McCarthy.
A Look Back
Carson-Newman entered the season with just two winning seasons in program history, and one of those three is the Covid-19 year when the Eagles finished 6-1 but stopped play in the middle of February.
The Eagles' only other winning season was the 2022 campaign. The Eagles defeated a couple of D-I schools in Eastern Kentucky University and Jacksonville State. The Eagles also won their first match in 1090 days at the AVCA Small College Championship when they defeated Tusculum 3-2. The 2022 team featured Mogan Siwiec, who held the record for most wins in a season (20) and most wins in program history (32) before this season.
Lind's squad entered 2023 with high expectations for the Eagles after the best season in program history in 2022 and a team filled with players coming off a spectacular indoor season.
"The team has decided that we are shooting for 20 wins, and I fully expect us to hit the ground running and get a bunch of those in February," Lind said in an interview on February 2nd.
Lind's squad went on a terror to start the season, collecting a program-record 11 wins in February. The Eagles broke the record for consecutive sweeps (5) and wins in a month (11).
Carson-Newman continued their early season dominance into March. The Eagles collected 11 more wins, broke the record for sweeps in a month (9), and collected wins against Division-I opponents Morehead St. (4-1), Tennessee Tech (5-0, 5-0), and Liberty (3-2).
The Eagles saw their longest winning streak in program history end on the last day of the month when they lost 5-0 to UT Martin. The match featured McKenna Hall, Abbey Hildenbrand, Julia Wheeler, and Ava Fountain's individual 22-game win streaks coming to an end. Not only did the quartet of Eagles break the record for consecutive wins, but they also surpassed the program record for wins in a season before suffering their first loss.
The Eagles collected just three wins to eight losses in April. The Eagles defeated Catawba 3-0 at the SAC Beach Challenge before making a trip to Tavares, Fl., to compete in the AVCA Small College Championship.
The Eagles won for the second year in a row at the tournament when they defeated Tusculum 3-2 after losing to the Pioneers 3-1 seven days earlier. The Eagles captured their second win at the tournament when they defeated Eckerd 3-2. The Eagles were placed in the silver bracket ahead of day three, but their matches to Spring Hill and Texas A&M at Kingsville.
A plethora of record-breaking performances highlighted Carson-Newman's season. Sierra Still became Carson-Newman's winningest player with 47 career victories. Mia Toribio moved into second place with 44, and McKenna Hall notched 41.
Eight Eagles surpassed Siwiec's record of 20 wins. McKenna Hall and Julia Wheeler each notched 26. Abbey Hildenbrand and Ava Fountain won 23, Piper Halcrow and Taylor Keeran collected 22, and Carson-Newman's one pair, Sierra Still and Truth Hafey earned 21 wins.
Ava Fountain surpasses Hall for the best efficiency in beach volleyball's history among players who have completed a season. Fountain ended the year with a win percentage of 85.2%. Hall still leads all Eagles with a minimum of 30 wins with a win percentage of 68.3%. Before this season, Siwiec held the record for the most efficient season in program history with a win percentage of 69%. Seven Eagles surpassed Siwiec's mark.
Cat Lind becomes Carson-Newman's winningest coach after just four seasons. Lind will enter her fifth season with a record of 47-33. Under Lind's command, the Eagles have yet to lose at home, going a perfect 16-0 in home contests.
For more on Carson-Newman's historic 2023 season, visit cneagles.com or follow Carson-Newman athletics on social media.
