JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Coming off a busy week, Carson-Newman (7-6, 5-3 SAC) will face another tough stretch, facing off with four SAC teams this week in Tusculum, Mars Hill, Lincoln Memorial, and Newberry.
"We need to take things one match at a time," head coach Jon Parker said. "It starts with Tusculum, who is a bit of a rival, but we have a lot of respect for each other, and it will be a good match."
It was a successful week for the Eagles, who earned wins over Emory & Henry and UVA-Wise. This week will be equally important, with four more SAC foes on the horizon.
@ No. 37 Tusculum (11-6, 5-3 SAC)
One of the bigger tests of the week comes in Greeneville, as C-N will face off with a ranked Tusculum squad on Monday. The Pioneers have been up and down lately, earning wins against No. 32 Lenoir-Rhyne and No. 42 Anderson and losses against Limestone and No. 13 Wingate.
Despite losing the doubles point in its most recent ranked win over Lenoir-Rhyne, Tusculum bounced back with big wins from Valentina and Paulina Loretz in No. 2 and 4 singles and also wins in No. 5 and 6 to earn the win.
In a year when Tusculum tied for 1st in the SAC last season, C-N took the Pioneers down to the wire in a 4-3 loss last year. In the loss, the Eagles took the doubles point but dropped four singles matches, with one coming via forfeit, and fell in a tight match.
With a healthy squad, the Eagles will look to rebound from last year's loss on Monday at 1 p.m. in Greeneville.
@ Mars Hill (0-14, 0-9 SAC)
The Eagles will have a quick turnaround, heading to Mars Hill to face a Mountain Lions squad still searching for their first win.
Mars Hill has had a tough year but has shown a fight throughout. The Mountain Lions have come close to earning their first victory, most recently against Emory & Henry, earlier in March. The Mountain Lions split in singles play but dropped the doubles point and fell in the match.
The Eagles took last season's match against the Mountain Lions 5-2. Natasha Forrest, Summer Reeves, and Julia Speiser earned wins in the match en route to an Eagles' victory.
C-N will look for a similar result in its second match in as many days on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Mars Hill, North Carolina.
Vs. Lincoln Memorial (7-11, 1-6 SAC)
C-N will see another in-state foe in the busy week, facing off with Lincoln Memorial in Jefferson City on Thursday afternoon.
The Railsplitters got off to a solid start in non-conference play, earning six wins. However, SAC play has not been friendly to LMU, as the Railsplitters have dropped their last five matches in conference play, with its last win coming against Emory & Henry on March 13th.
In the recent drought, the Railsplitters have secured just five points. While it has been a tough stretch, LMU will have a chance to right the ship with matches against UVA-Wise and Mars Hill this week before heading to Mossy Creek.
The Eagles and Railsplitters have a fairly even all-time series, with Lincoln Memorial holding a 9-8 advantage. C-N has taken the last two matches and looks to extend its streak to three to even the all-time series on Thursday at 2 p.m. in Mossy Creek.
Vs. Newberry (9-5, 5-4 SAC)
A battle-tested Newberry squad will travel to Jefferson City to take on the Eagles for the final match of the four-match week on Saturday.
The Wolves have been challenged early and often this season, earning a ranked non-conference win over No. 22 Georgia College and, most recently, a dominant 6-1 win over SAC foe Anderson.
Newberry had some tough results in March with two one-point losses to Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba but bounced back by winning two of its next three to enter April on a high note. The Wolves will face off with UVA-Wise and Coker before heading to Mossy Creek to close out their regular season.
The all-time series between the Wolves and the Eagles is knotted at nine apiece, as Newberry has taken the last two matches, with the most recent result being a 5-2 win last year. C-N will look to take hold of the all-time series and close the week on a high note on Saturday at 2 p.m.
