JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman
College and Lenoir-Rhyne University Volleyball Teams battled back
and forth in a thriller in South Atlantic Conference action Friday
night at Holt Fieldhouse. The Lady Eagles defeated the Bears, 3-2
(25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 23-25, 15-12), to retain sole possession of
second place in the SAC standings. C-N honored its five seniors
before the match as a part of Senior Weekend.
“The emotions throughout the match were intense on both
sides,” said Head Coach Shannon Mincey
after the match. “I don’t know that we have played
a match this year where the momentum changed as much as it did
tonight. It was great to see all of our parents and fans in the
stands pushing us on.”
Carson-Newman took a 1-0 lead after the first set after going on a
scoring run in the middle of the period to go up by a 17-13 margin.
Lenoir-Rhyne closed the gap to 24-23 before C-N was able to put the
set away with a kill from freshman middle Jasmine
Clark (Pelham, Ala.).
In the second frame, the Lady Eagles were able to pull away
steadily from the Bears, as Carson-Newman held a 24-17 advantage.
L-R pulled to within three before C-N junior outside hitter
Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) scored the 25th
point for the Lady Eagles to go up two sets to none.
Lenoir-Rhyne clawed its way back into the match in the third stanza
which featured 15 ties and eight lead changes. The Bears were able
to take the set by the 25-22 score even though the Lady Eagles
posted a .405 (18-3-37) hitting percentage. L-R’s Chelsea
Hill (Lexington, N.C.) and Lindsey Cantu (Orlando, Fla.) recorded
11 of the team’s 15 kills in the frame.
The Bears equalized the match after the fourth set behind serving
runs from Cristin Owens (Hendersonville, N.C.) and Cayla Crawley
(Bryson City, N.C.) to go up 17-12. Carson-Newman would tie the
period at 23, but two straight kills by Cantu gave the set to
L-R.
Lenoir-Rhyne continued its momentum in the fifth stanza and went up
4-1 and led 8-6 at the switch. The Lady Eagles turned the table
scoring five straight points to gain an 11-9 advantage, a lead that
C-N wouldn’t give up. Four of the next seven points went the
home team’s way, as Carson-Newman escaped with the win.
“Each player played a role for us, whether on the court or
off,” continued Mincey. “It was thrilling to
win; however, I felt sad to know that it was the last Friday night
match with those five players. What a way to end senior night
playing such a quality team and garnering the win through
effort.”
Sophomore right side hitter Nikki James
(Cookeville, Tenn.) had a career night as she had 14 kills and a
match-high nine blocks to lead the Lady Eagle attack. Seniors
middle Katie Troyer (Plain City, Ohio) and
Jessica Schachleiter (Cincinnati, Ohio) were close
behind as the pair recorded 13 kills apiece while Troyer added
eight blocks of her own.
Carson-Newman senior Stephanie Cutter
(Murfreesboro, Tenn.) tallied a double-double as a setter, dishing
out 34 assists and picking up 17 digs while junior Lara
McDonald (Salem, Va.) completed the setting duties for the
Lady Eagles with 24 helpers of her own. Freshman libero
Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) had a team-high
22 assists as well for C-N.
Seniors Jessica Brady (Fruitland Park, Fla.)
and Caitlin Schlegel (Anacortes, Wash.) combined
for 11 kills and three blocks as well for C-N.
Lenoir-Rhyne was led offensively by Cantu and Hill with 20 and 16
kills, respectively, with Cantu added 18 digs to complete the
double-double on the night. Brooke Christenbury (Statesville, N.C.)
recorded 13 kills of her own while Meredith Lutz (Newton, N.C.) led
all players with 62 assists. Marrissa Church (Statesville, N.C.)
also recorded a match-high with 27 digs.
“Our eyes have to shift to Brevard as they travel to us
tomorrow,” concluded Mincey. “They are one of
the strongest blocking teams in our conference. We will have to
move the ball to create seams in the frontline in order to be
successful.”
Carson-Newman will take the court Saturday afternoon when the
Tornados of Brevard College come to visit in SAC action. First
serve for the match is set for 3:00 p.m.
-Joe Matthews, C-N Sports Information
Photo Credit: Cheryl Cutter
