JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With the 2021 Carson-Newman volleyball season opener less than three weeks away, it is time to break down the Eagles roster with the first of two position previews beginning with a look at the outside hitters and middle blockers with senior Erin Edwards.
The Midlothian, Va. native is the lone player of the team's top five kill producers to return to the roster for the 2021 campaign. Most notably on the pins, Megan Oldenburger completed her career as a first-team All-South Atlantic Conference selection. She finished with 1,050 career kills and 1,240 career digs, one of the four players in school history to crest 1,000 in each category.
Elsewhere along the front line, Emily Harnischfeger's career closed in the spring with three double-digit kill efforts ranking third on the roster in smashes. The biggest hole to plug comes in the middle where Katie Parnell and Kaina Roehrkasse formed one of the best blocking duos in the country. Parnell finished third on the program's career block assists list and fifth all-time in career rejections. Roehrkasse was one of the stars of the 2019 Southeast Region title team ranking seventh in the nation in rejections.
"It is going to be difficult because they had a lot of experience," Edwards said. "I do have a lot of confidence in this group. We just had an open gym yesterday and it was my first time practicing with them and I was surprised with what I saw. I wasn't expecting the chemistry to be there."
Fortunately for coach Ashley Tiernan, Edwards provides the team with one of the most efficient and dynamic options the region has to offer. The 2019 SAC Tournament MVP was a second-team All-SAC selection in the spring and has a career attack percentage of .280 that ranks among the best in Orange and Blue history while her 235 block assists are enough for No. 10 entering the season. She has led the team in kills 20 times over the last three years with 33 efforts of double digits.
"I used to be very afraid to make a mistake," Edwards said. "If I made one mistake then I would play very timid. Now I think that whatever happens, happens and I go for the kill every time. It makes my confidence go up more because I love to be the one that every one looks at to beat or to shut down because I don't shut down. I take that and run with that and it makes that game level go up even more."
Every other attacking option for the Eagles this season is a freshman or a sophomore. Joining Edwards on the right side will be Emmagrace Cobb (High Point, N.C.). Taylor Keeran (Gailon, Ohio) saw time on the right pin but will also vie for an opportunity in the middle. Ella Gay filled in the middle for the group a year ago earning the start in the first match of the year against Catawba on Feb. 27 piling up five kills hitting .385 with an ace, four digs and two block assists. Rounding out the group is rookie Jaelyn Sorensen (Le Roy, Ill.).
The left pin will have a bevy of options featuring three newcomers and a pair of returners looking to jockey for playing time. Skylor Weaver (Katy, Texas) played in one set in the spring while McKenna Hall (Bristol, Wis.) split time between the front row and back row tallying 16 kills.
Julia Wheeler (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) provides the roster with top flight experience transferring from Tennessee Tech after appearing in 19 matches. In her tenure, she posted a career-high 12 smashes against Evansville and piled up 22 digs versus Southern Illinois accumulating a total of 40 kills and 66 digs.
Two rookies will get an opportunity to compete for a slot. Taylor Adams (Covington, Ga.), the daughter of a former professional baseball player, was a two-time team MVP at Eastside High School guiding the program to a pair of Sweet 16 finishes. As an added bonus, she is a former top 50 world-ranked CrossFit competitor.
Blake Cherry (Cookeville, Tenn.) led Cookeville High School to a top five finish in the state tournament in each of her final three years as a prep standout. She earned all-district nods thrice ranking top 10 in the state with 356 kills as a senior adding a .361 hitting clip, 60 aces, 35 blocks and 288 digs.
"Every one is on the same level right now," Edwards said. "There are no promised spots so it's a great position for them to be in. It's their time to shine."
Part two of the position previews will highlight the setters and liberos with senior setter Taylor Rohr scheduled to be released on Tuesday. Carson-Newman opens the 2021 campaign on Sept. 3 against UNC Pembroke at 3 p.m. in the first of four matches at USC Aiken's Convocation Center.
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