JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – A quartet of seniors played their final regular season home game Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse as the Carson-Newman Eagles (25-6, 18-4 South Atlantic Conference) were upset the Mars Hill Lions (8-21, 6-16 SAC) 28-26, 17-25, 19-25, 25-19 and 15-12.
The Eagles hit .302 in the opening set but the Lions escaped after facing a set point at 26-25, Carson-Newman's second lead of the first set, reeling off three straight go ahead 1-0. Mars Hill opened up a four-point lead after being tied at three in the early going. The Lions would continue to lead despite the 7-3 score being the largest separation. Senior setter Lindsey Wells (Morristown, Tenn.) matched a career-high with 15 assists coupled with seven digs in the first set.
Carson-Newman came out on fire in the second stanza winning seven of the first eight points. Mars Hill closed the gap to three points at 15-12 but a 5-1 spurt for the Eagles put the lead right back at seven as a kill by senior outside hitter Sara Fairley (Charlotte, N.C.) tied the match at one.
After falling behind 5-2 in the third set, the Eagles took the lead on a 6-1 streak on a kill by junior middle blocker Maddie Borch (Walnut Creek, Calif.). The Lions matched the Eagles 6-1 run with one of their own to regain the lead at 13-10. The deficit for the home team was four points when a 5-0 sequence allowed Carson-Newman to take a 16-15 edge. Back-to-back kills by freshman middle blocker Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) closed out the third set.
The Eagles won the first three points of the fourth frame and after taking a 5-1 lead Mars Hill climbed back into the contest to tie it at six. Mars Hill coach Tony Fontanelle received a red card with the Lions leading 17-16 and did not have an assistant coach. A 5-0 run put the visiting group up 24-19 before sending the match to a fifth set.
The only time Carson-Newman led in the fifth set was at 1-0. The two sides traded blows until a 3-0 spurt by the Lions made it 13-9. The Eagles stymied three match points by an attack error by Fairley closed out the contest.
Carson-Newman had 60 kills hitting .189 with 92 digs, nine service aces and four blocks while Mars Hill ended the match with 48 kills on a .186 percentage with 86 digs, nine blocks and seven service aces.
Borch finished with a career-high 22 kills, besting her previous best of 16, while hitting .410 with two blocks. Fairley notched 12 kills and a career-high 21 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Senior outside hitter Molly Locke (College Grove, Tenn.) tallied 11 kills and 20 digs for her 14th double-double of the season.
Sophomore setter Anna Patton (Franklin, Tenn.) had 33 assists and six digs and senior libero Kristina Hill (Lake Orion, Mich.) had her ninth career double-digit dig day with 10 scoops.
Three Lions racked up 10 kills with Rebecca Butler's 10 kills and 13 digs and Lauren Hochstettler's 10 kills and 16 digs leading the way. Andie Russell had 27 assists and 11 digs.
The matchups for the SAC Tournament next week in Anderson, S.C. will be announced later today. Follow @CNathletics for the latest information on the Carson-Newman volleyball team.
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