JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the third consecutive match, the Carson-Newman Eagles (11-2, 7-1 South Atlantic Conference) held an opponent to a hitting percentage below .100 in a sweep of the Newberry Wolves (6-6, 2-5 SAC). Newberry tallied 29 kills and 21 attack errors in a match where it hit .066.
"Our defense did a really great job," Carson-Newman coach Dan Ahiers said. "Not just floor defense but our block. Our block had nine blocks tonight. We had a lot of people blocking all over the net. Outsides, rightsides and our middles closed well. Behind them we have such a good block that four or five different kids had double-digit digs. When you do that, that's a team effort."
The Eagles were behind 10-8 in the opening set before going on a 7-1 run to gain a four-point lead. The home unit would not trail the rest of the set and captured the set on a kill from senior outside hitter Sara Fairley (Charlotte, N.C.). Seven kills on a .333 attack percentage from senior outside hitter Molly Locke (College Grove, Tenn.) led all players in the frame.
Carson-Newman came out of the gates in the second set on fire winning the first five points of the frame including a pair of kills from Locke and led 8-2 before a timeout from Newberry. The Wolves won 14 of the next 20 points to take an 18-16 lead. The Eagles promptly flipped the scoreboard winning five of the next six rallies to go ahead 21-19. Kills from freshman middle blocker Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) and Fairley closed out the stanza.
Newberry did not provide much resistance after tying the score at four in the third set. Carson-Newman won seven of the following 10 rallies to take charge of the match. The Eagles continued to pull away from the Wolves as a kill by Locke sealed the match.
Three Eagles finished with double-doubles in the match as Locke piled up 21 kills and 11 digs while hitting .439 marking the second time this year the senior surpassed 20 kills in a match.
Fairley had her fourth double-double of the season finishing the night with 12 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore setter Anna Patton (Franklin, Tenn.) also notched her fourth double-double of the season with 33 assists and 13 digs.
Freshman libero Megan Morris (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) finished with 14 digs and junior libero Taylor Lowe (Franklin, Tenn.) concluded the night with 11 scoops as five players notched double-figure dig matches.
"All of the defense was working around the block," Morris said. "We just picked up all the balls. We have been practicing it a lot so it just started working."
Newberry was led by Logan Hayward's 10 kills and 11 digs and Maggie Marsh's 24 assists and seven digs.
The Eagles are back in action Saturday afternoon when the Anderson (S.C.) Trojans come to Holt Fieldhouse for a 2 p.m. first serve. Eric Cain will once again be on the microphone for the broadcast that can be found by visiting cneagles.com/live courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network.
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