Eagles Sweep Tennessee Tech 10-0 in Dominant Home Opener
Carson-Newman beach volleyball made a statement in its home opener at Mossy Creek on Friday, sweeping Tennessee Tech in both ends of a doubleheader to complete a 10-0 shutout and remain unbeaten on the season.
VIDEO: Cat Collins Interview
VIDEO: Paige Halcrow & Trinity Hafey Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman beach volleyball delivered a dominant performance in its home opener Friday at Mossy Creek, sweeping Tennessee Tech in both matches of a doubleheader by identical 5-0 scores. The Eagles won all 10 flights on the day to improve to 7-0 on the season.
"It was definitely a fun matchup, and it was great to play against good competition," said head coach Cat Collins. "We were ready for this matchup, and we did a lot of preparation this week. We're just proud of the girls. They adapted well, listened to each other, and many of the things we worked on this week we saw today."
Game 1: Carson-Newman 5, Tennessee Tech 0
1. Paige Halcrow/Trinity Hafey (C-N) def. MK Roberts/Vivian RoBards (TNTC) 21-9, 21-15
2. Emerson Ahsmuhs/Ava Potts (C-N) def. Bailey Poppe/Kyana Gabriel (TNTC) 21-13, 21-10
3. Camryn Ehlers/Addie Smith (C-N) def. Cristina Rotola/Alanah Craig (TNTC) 21-9, 21-19
4. Lucy Bartee/Morgan Foy (C-N) def. Piper Jones/Zoe Mish (TNTC) 21-18, 21-5
5. Madison Trondle/Kelcey Peterson (C-N) def. Maggie Kamp/Kaesha Walter (TNTC) 21-17, 21-13
In the first dual, Carson-Newman controlled the action from start to finish, earning straight-set wins in every position. Halcrow and Hafey opened with a 21-9, 21-15 win at No. 1, while Ahsmuhs and Potts followed with a 21-13, 21-10 victory at No. 2.
Ehlers and Smith secured a 21-9, 21-19 decision at No. 3, and Bartee and Foy dominated at No. 4 with a 21-18, 21-5 win. Trondle and Peterson capped the sweep at No. 5, winning 21-17, 21-13 to move the Eagles to 6-0 overall.
Carson-Newman carried that momentum into the second match, again sweeping all five flights. Halcrow and Hafey earned a 21-17, 21-17 win at the top spot, and Ahsmuhs and Potts followed with a commanding 21-14, 21-6 performance at No. 2.
Ehlers and Smith added another straight-set victory at No. 3, winning 21-19, 21-13. Bartee and Foy rolled to a 21-6, 21-16 win at No. 4. The lone three-set match of the day came at No. 5, where Trondle and Peterson rebounded after dropping the first set to claim a 20-22, 21-13, 15-10 comeback victory.
"I think we all did a really good job of doing our job," said Trinity Hafey. "It takes all five pairs to win, and everyone did their job and implemented what we've been working on in practice."
Game 2: Carson-Newman 5, Tennessee Tech 0
1. Paige Halcrow/Trinity Hafey (C-N) def. MK Roberts/Kyana Gabriel (TNTC) 21-17, 21-17
2. Emerson Ahsmuhs/Ava Potts (C-N) def. Jolee McLain/Bailey Poppe (TNTC) 21-14, 21-6
3. Camryn Ehlers/Addie Smith (C-N) def. Cristina Rotola/Alanah Craig (TNTC) 21-19, 21-13
4. Lucy Bartee/Morgan Foy (C-N) def. Maggie Kamp/Kaesha Walter (TNTC) 21-6, 21-16
5. Madison Trondle/Kelcey Peterson (C-N) def. Piper Jones/Zoe Mish (TNTC) 20-22, 21-13, 15-10
With the pair of 5-0 wins, the Eagles completed a 10-0 sweep across the doubleheader and improved to 7-0 on the year, while Tennessee Tech fell to 0-2.
Carson-Newman returns to the courts when the team travels to Greeneville, Tenn., for its first South Atlantic Conference (SACC) weekend. The two-day event will see the Eagles face Catawba and Wingate on Friday, March 6, and Emmanuel (Ga.) and Erskine on Saturday.
"We have a lot of culture meetings about goal setting, and I think that is an area where we can continue to improve," said Paige Halcrow. "We set short-term and long-term goals so we can stay focused on being united as a team."
For updates throughout the week, follow @CN_Eagles on X and Instagram, or Carson-Newman Athletics on Facebook. Full coverage is also available at cneagles.com.
