JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In a decisive fifth set, the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters (3-5, 1-4) led 7-4 before a 10-1 run by the Carson-Newman Eagles (8-1, 5-0 SAC) before a kill from senior outside hitter Molly Locke (College Grove, Tenn.) sealed the victory Tuesday night at Holt Fieldhouse.
"We are a very young team," Carson-Newman coach Dan Ahiers said. "It's the first time we played a five-set match in our home gym. We probably had close to 1,000 people here. They were yelling and screaming. I think it's a good thing we played five sets. I think it's a good thing for the freshman to play a five-set match."
Carson-Newman dominated the first set leading the entire opening stanza. Holding a 6-4 advantage, the Eagles won six of the next eight points before Lincoln Memorial used a timeout. A 7-2 spurt extended the lead to 22-11 as the home team closed out the opening set on a kill by Locke. Carson-Newman hit .400 led by five kills from Locke.
The Eagles appeared to be in control in the second set leading 15-8 as Ahiers put in some of his reserves. The Railsplitters won the next five points prompting a timeout by Carson-Newman. Lincoln Memorial took an 18-17 lead. Carson-Newman negated two set points, but a block by Jazzy Oates ended the set.
Carson-Newman led by as many as nine points in the third set leading 17-8 before a timeout from Lincoln Memorial. A 5-0 spurt by the Railsplitters cut the deficit to 17-13 as the visiting team closed to within two at 21-19 prompting a timeout from Ahiers. The Eagles won the final four points to go ahead 2-1.
The Railsplitters hit .353 in the fourth set and led most of the way winning three straight points to capture a 7-5 lead. Lincoln Memorial would lead by three points on three occasions and won the set on a kill by Jazzy Oates.
Senior outside hitter Sara Fairley (Charlotte, N.C.) had a match-high 19 kills on a .280 hitting percentage to go along with two service aces and seven digs. She compiled a career-high 22 points in the match.
"I really tried to mix up my shots," Fairley said. "There was a lot of line given so I tried to utilize that. Anna [Patton] delivered really good sets and we were trying to run a little bit faster offense and it seemed to be working for us."
Locke finished with 10 kills and eight digs as freshman middle blocker Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) added 11 kills and five block assists.
Sophomore setter Anna Patton (Franklin, Tenn.) notched 44 assists and seven digs on the night.
Lincoln Memorial was led by 18 kills on a .289 attack percentage from Brooke Fleeman while Liz Brock added 11 kills, five digs and four block assists. Abby Cash finished the match with a double-double of 40 assists and 15 digs.
Carson-Newman looks for its eight straight match victory Friday night when the Wingate Bulldogs arrive in Mossy Creek for a 7 p.m. first serve. The match will be broadcast courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network with coverage beginning at 6:50 p.m. at cneagles.com/live.
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