JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After suffering their first loss in league play, the Carson-Newman Eagles (10-2, 6-1 South Atlantic Conference) swept the Coker Cobras (2-8, 0-7 SAC) and defeated the Montevallo Falcons (8-6) Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
"After an emotional loss last night," Carson-Newman coach Dan Ahiers said. "It was really nice to see my team get back up today. That first match today against Coker we played really well. We won the first set easily, got a lot of players in the game. Montevallo is a good team. [We] didn't get as many players in because they battled us so well."
The Eagles topped the Cobras 25-12, 25-18 and 25-19 while dispatching of the Falcons 23-25, 25-13, 25-17 and 25-20. The two opponents failed to hit higher than .050 in the matches.
"We did a very good job of playing defense," Ahiers said. "It starts with our blocking. We got a lot of blocks last night and followed it up with many blocks today. Our defense has really figured out how to fill holes and how to get balls in the air."
Match No. 1 – Carson-Newman 3, Coker 0
Carson-Newman came out firing in the first set winning nine of the first 10 points to start the match. With the Eagles ahead 17-9, the home team reeled off six straight points capped by a kill from freshman outside hitter Cecily Clark (Cincinnati, Ohio) to go ahead 23-9. A kill from freshman middle blocker Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) sealed the opening frame.
The second stanza started close but a 9-2 spurt by the Eagles put Carson-Newman ahead 12-5. The seven-point spread would hold as the top team in the league closed out the first set on a kill from freshman outside hitter Gabbi Paccatte (Clarence, N.Y.).
The final set was the closest of the match with the Cobras holding a 10-9 in the frame. The Eagles quickly reeled off a 6-1 run capped by a service ace by junior middle blocker Maddie Borch (Walnut Creek, Calif.). Coker never trailed by fewer than two points the rest of the way as a kill by senior outside hitter Sara Fairley (Charlotte, N.C.) closed out the match.
The Eagles hit .255 in the match with six blocks while the Cobras were held to a .042 attack percentage while compiling eight blocks.
Borch led all players with a career-high 13 kills and a .458 hitting percentage. Fairley finished with eight kills and Harris had six kills and four block assists.
"Our setter was working really hard all day," Borch said. "We were connecting really well and we have been working on that. Our team had a lot of good communication and that really helped us out."
Sophomore setter Anna Patton (Franklin, Tenn.) had 26 assists and nine digs.
Madison Bingle was the lone Coker player to finish in double figures in kills with 10 to go along with five digs.
Match No. 2 – Carson-Newman 3, Montevallo 1
The first set was filled with errors from each side as Carson-Newman hit .050 while Montevallo hit just .033. The game was tight throughout with the largest lead being four points from the Falcons at 14-10. The Eagles cut the deficit to one point on four occasions and led 19-18 on a kill by senior outside hitter Molly Locke (College Grove, Tenn.). With the score deadlocked at 23, the visiting group won the final two points to take the set.
The second stanza saw the Eagles hit .333 while yielding a -.059 attack percentage. Carson-Newman stormed out to a 10-3 lead on a kill from Locke. The six-point deficit was the closest the Falcons would get the rest of the set as the home group cruised to a 12-point win.
Once again, the Eagles were on fire to start the third set taking seven of the first 10 points before the Falcons closed the gap to 12-10. Carson-Newman earned seven of the next nine points to go ahead 19-12. A small run by Montevallo closed the gap, but the Eagles took the set on an attack error by Brie Blume.
Carson-Newman hit a match-high .441 in the fourth set with 18 kills, but trailed 7-5 early. An 8-1 spurt allowed the Eagles to take a lead and gain separation. Montevallo was within three points by a kill from Borch closed out the match and the day for the Eagles.
Eight blocks for Carson-Newman held Montevallo to a .024 attack percentage while the Eagles hit .248 in the contest.
Locke piled up 17 kills and 12 digs for her third double-double of the season. Harris added 12 kills and three block assists and Borch notched 10 kills, a career-high five service aces and 2.5 total blocks.
Patton had 40 assists and six digs while junior libero Taylor Lowe (Franklin, Tenn.) had 14 assists.
Montevallo was led by Kristy Bohan's 11 kills, Briana Marquez's 22 assists and Carissa Bell's 19 digs.
Carson-Newman wraps up a six-match homestand next weekend when Newberry comes to town Friday night at 7 p.m. with Anderson (S.C.) coming to Holt Fieldhouse for a 2 p.m. first serve on Saturday afternoon. Both matches will be streamed courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network by visiting cneagles.com/live 10 minutes prior to the match.
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