JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Carson-Newman College Volleyball Team (12-7, 6-3 SAC) got back on the winning track Tuesday night as it defeated Lincoln Memorial University by a 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-23) score at Holt Fieldhouse in South Atlantic Conference action. With the win, the Lady Eagles move into a tie for second place in SAC play with the Lady Railsplitters, who have lost three straight.

"This win was huge for us," said Head Coach Shannon Mincey. "I think we focused tonight on not playing with pressure but just performing. We said, `You can feel pressure or you could just flat out perform.' We knew we had to beat LMU in three because they beat us in three up there and we are gunning for a high position in the conference."

The first set was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. Down 20-19, C-N scored six of the next seven points including three kills from senior middle Katie Troyer (Plain City, Ohio) to take the 1-0 lead over LMU. Troyer led all players after the first set with six kills.

Carson-Newman broke the match wide open in the second frame. Seven-point serving runs by junior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) and freshman libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) paced the Lady Eagles to the easy 25-13 win. C-N also posted four solo blocks during the set, causing Lincoln Memorial to hit in the negative at -.067 (7-10-45).

The Lady Eagles finished the match off in the third stanza, but the Lady Railsplitters would not go down without a fight. LMU jumped out to a 4-1 lead, forcing Carson-Newman to rally to tie the score at five. The set featured 15 ties and eight lead changes and was knotted at 23 points apiece before C-N took the match with two straight scores.

Troyer finished with nine kills to tie for the match-high and added two blocks for Carson-Newman. Mozgai and seniors Jessica Brady (Fruitland Park, Fla.) and Jessica Schachleiter (Cincinnati, Ohio) each tallied seven kills while sophomore Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) recorded five kills and led all players with four blocks.

Senior Stephanie Cutter (Mufreesboro, Tenn.) dished out 21 helpers for a match-high and junior Lara McDonald (Salem, Va.) had 15 assists of her own as the two split setting duties for the Lady Eagles. McDonald also recorded 12 digs to complete the double-double.

Hayes and freshman defensive specialist Mackenzie Tyree (Daleville, Va.) tallied 20 and 16 digs, respectively, to lead C-N.

"We mixed up our lineup tonight. We ran two setters and I think that gave us some fresh energy, continued Mincey. "Lara (McDonald) came in and just brought something new to the table that we haven't experienced yet. Jessica Brady coming off the bench and getting into the lineup was big for us too. Our blockers performed well tonight."

The Lady Railsplitters were led offensively by Kodi Cartwright (Layton, Utah) as she had a nearly errorless match with nine kills and only one error in 30 attempts. Brittany Pugh (Farmersburg, Ind.) had 18 assists and Lauren Kiwacka (Tipp City, Ohio) recorded 17 digs to lead Lincoln Memorial as well.

"We dropped one on Saturday, and the girls came in on Sunday by themselves and practiced," added Mincey. "That really showed a lot of character to come in on a day off and talked about regrouping and refocusing."

Carson-Newman will travel to Newberry, S.C. to take on Newberry College Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m., in SAC action.

-Joe Matthews, C-N Sports Information