NEWBERRY, S.C. – Julia Wheeler continued a dominating stretch with 26 kills to guide Carson-Newman to a four-set victory, 25-23, 22-25, 25-14 and 25-19, at Newberry's Eleazer Arena Friday night in South Atlantic Conference action.
Wheeler has amassed 53 kills on a .271 hitting percentage to become the first Eagle in the 25-point rally scoring era with back-to-back matches of 25-plus kills. The Murfreesboro, Tenn. native capped the night with 26 kills hitting .333 with 14 digs and a team-high 1.5 blocks.
Abbey Hildenbrand (Parker, Colo.) set the tone for the attack with 49 assists and a team-high 20 scoops. The Eagles finished the night with a .266 hitting percentage blasting 63 kills.
Taylor Keeran (Galion, Ohio) and Blake Cherry (Cookeville, Tenn.) each posted 10 kills while Cherry added 17 digs, three assists and two aces. Hayden Barton (Hixson, Tenn.) picked up 19 digs with seven assists.
Carson-Newman (10-9, 6-4) extends its winning streak over Newberry (8-8, 3-6) to seven matches in a row dropping a total of five frames during a stretch that has seen it not lose since Sept. 15, 2017.
Six of the 12 ties in the match came to open the night as Carson-Newman's attack picked up where it left off on Tuesday racking up 20 kills on a .383 hitting percentage in the first game. After opening up a five-point lead, the Eagles conceded seven of nine to see the score level at 21. A kill from Wheeler gave the visitors a lead that it would not relinquish sealing the first frame on a blast from Keeran.
In the second stanza, the teams were tied at four before Newberry ripped off six straight points to gain a lead that would prove to be enough. C-N reeled off five in a row to close the gap to 13-12 but another 6-0 surge put the Wolves back ahead. The Eagles made a late push to pull within a deuce before Zoe Dinkins dumped the ball to the ground to tie the match at one.
The Orange and Blue recorded its best set of the night hitting .485 in the third with 19 kills on just 33 swings led by nine total blasts from Wheeler. C-N opened up an 11-4 edge, a bulge big enough to hold the rest of the way with Wheeler providing the finishing touches.
After falling in a 4-2 hole in the fourth, the Eagles rattled off seven straight to take a lead it would never give up. Newberry trimmed the score to two at 21-19 but C-N won the next four capped by a bomb from Wheeler to seal the match.
Overall on the evening, the Wolves produced 47 kills and hit .153 with five blocks holding a 5-4 edge in the service game. Natasha Bannister, the league leader in kills entering play, registered 14 but made eight hitting errors adding a dozen digs.
Taylor Hall was more efficient with a .209 hitting percentage with 11 digs. Avery Webb posted 34 assists and 19 digs while Amanda Berecz led all players with 30 digs.
The Eagles wrap up their visit to South Carolina on Saturday going to Anderson for a 2 p.m. serve from the Abney Athletic Center.
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