VIDEO: Ashley Tiernan Interview
2021 Carson-Newman Volleyball Schedule (Web)
2021 Carson-Newman Volleyball Schedule (JPG)
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman volleyball is slated to play 22 of its 32 matches in 2021 away from Holt Fieldhouse as coach Ashley Tiernan released the schedule Thursday with the season slated to begin on Sept. 3 at 3 p.m. against UNC Pembroke.
All told, the Eagles will travel 4,039 miles road trip before any postseason competition participating in three different tournaments throughout the campaign. Each of the 10 home matches will be against South Atlantic Conference competition. This year is the second time in the last three full seasons with just 10 home contests on the regular-season schedule.
"We will do a lot of team bonding together and there will be days when we need to separate so we can regroup," Tiernan said. "Being on the road together so much we will have a lot of opportunity to really get to know each other. The great thing about our roster, and we did this by design, is that we have a lot of depth at every single position. With the 32 games and a lot of away games, a lot of stuff will happen but we are very confident that we will be able to compete at a high level."
On top of the road journeys, the unit will play seven matches against five of the other seven clubs that reached the 2019 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship as C-N came out with its second regional championship in a five-year window.
The Orange and Blue jump into the year with first of two treks to USC Aiken's Convocation Center, the site of the program's first regional championship from 2015. Two twin-bills are the docket starting with UNC Pembroke at 3 p.m. on Sept. 3 before turning around and taking on the Pacers at 6 p.m. A quick turnaround sees matches against Johnson C. Smith and Converse at noon and 3 p.m. respectively.
To open SAC action, Carson-Newman opens the doors to Holt Fieldhouse for the longest homestand of the year, one of two times during the season that the club plays multiple matches in a row at home. Catawba is the first conference outing of the year on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. with affairs against Queens and Lincoln Memorial over the next five days.
"We have missed all of our fans in the stands," Tiernan said. "We are hoping that they will come back for us and our athletes can piggy back off of what they bring because our fans are absolutely amazing and they do a great job supporting us. We are hoping to get out on our court and show what we are capable of with our fans in the stands."
Over the next 11 days, the program plays six matches, all of which are away from Mossy Creek starting with a visit to West Tennessee and Union's Fred DeLay Gym for four matches against Christian Brothers, Arkansas Tech, Southern Arkansas and Union on Sept. 17-18.
It is the start of a stretch where the Eagles play 15 of 19 games away from home. Two of those home matches are Tuesday evening outings against Mars Hill on Oct. 12 and Lenoir-Rhyne on Oct. 19. To wrap up the sequence, C-N plays four straight against regional qualifiers from 2019. It begins with a return visit to Aiken to challenge Lander and the Pacers at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Oct. 22. After a short ride to Milledgeville, Ga., the Orange and Blue plays Augusta and Georgia College at 11 am. and 5 p.m.
Wrapping up October, Tiernan's troops welcomes Anderson and Newberry to Jefferson City before playing three of the final four matches of the year on the road concluding with a short jaunt to UVA Wise on Nov. 13 at 5 p.m.
The 2021 SAC Volleyball Championships start on campus sites on Nov. 16 before the semifinalists converge on Rock Hill, S.C., SAC headquarters, to crown the tournament champion.
Every home contest in 2021 will be featured on a video stream on cneagles.com/live courtesy of The Eagle Sports Network. Coverage all year long will also be available on Twitter by following @CNathletics and @CarsonNewmanVB.
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