JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – When Carson-Newman volleyball opens up the season Friday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse, it does so against tough competition. 

The Eagles face a 3-1 Francis Marion Patriots team at 1 p.m. before turning their attention to an Armstrong Atlantic squad that is just outside the top 25 in the latest AVCA top 25. 

C-N head volleyball coach Shannon Mincey said there's an added hunger for the Eagles after sitting on the sideline Labor Day weekend.

"Our team is just ecstatic to get on the floor," Mincey said. "At this point I won't even know what we need to work on until we see some competition."

The Eagles' competition in game one features a familiar face.  Mincey will coach against her leading attacker from the 2011 season, Carly Swisher.  Swisher is now an assistant coach for the Patriots.

"I ribbed her a bit, I told her to give out our secrets," Mincey said. "But I think in the same breath we have seven new players, so it's going to be very difficult for her to know who exactly we are."

The Patriots are led by senior outside hitter Liz Drewry, the reigning Patriot Athlete of the Week.  The Richmond, Va., native comes into the Carson-Newman Classic averaging 4.14 k/s with a .259 hit percentage.   

Meanwhile, Armstrong Atlantic comes in to the Carson-Newman Classic at 3-0 and four spots outside of the AVCA top 25.  The Pirates rolled through their home tournament last week, leaving three SAC teams in their wake.  Armstrong dusted of Lenoir-Rhyne in five sets, beat Tusculum in four and swept Catawba. 

The Pirate have four players hitting better than .250 in the young season, led by 6-0 senior outside hitter Amanda Jones' 4.08 k/s and .343 attack percentage. 

"We need to step up for our conference and put our best foot forward to beat Armstrong," Mincey said. "Lincoln Memorial will have played Armstrong prior to us playing them, so I'm looking forward to scouting that match to see tendencies."

Carson-Newman returns seniors in outside hitter Rachael Bowlin (Morristown, Tenn.) and libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.).  The Eagles' leading returning attacker is sophomore outside hitter Lauren Santarelli (Colorado Springs, Colo.).

The action gets underway Friday morning at 11 as Armstrong tries to run its record to 4-0 against SAC teams with a showdown with the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters.  The Eagles take the floor at 1 p.m. to open their season against Francis Marion. 

All games of the tournament will be streamed live at cneagles.com.

Tournament schedule

Friday Matches

Armstrong v. LMU 11 a.m.

Carson-Newman v. Francis Marion 1 p.m.

Lees-McRae v. LMU 3 p.m. 

Armstrong v. King 5 p.m. 

Lees-McRae v. Francis Marion 7 p.m. 

Saturday Matches

Carson-Newman v. Armstrong 10 a.m. 

Francis Marion v. Lincoln Memorial 12 p.m. 

Francis Marion v. King 2 p.m. 

Lees-McRae v. Armstrong 4 p.m. 

King v. LMU 6 p.m.