VIDEO: Ashley Tiernan Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After beating Anderson in the Palmetto State 12 days ago, Carson-Newman could not find a rhythm falling to the Trojans in straight stanzas, 20-25, 8-25 and 20-25, Thursday evening at Holt Fieldhouse.
"We weren't so good tonight," Carson-Newman coach Ashley Tiernan said. "For some reason when you put pressure on us or things aren't going our way, we tend to let some points go that we typically don't let go. We didn't play to the best of our ability tonight but we are going to come back tomorrow and see where it takes us."
The Eagles had gone 30 straight home affairs without being swept since Oct. 30, 2018 when Lincoln Memorial took a match in three sets. Carson-Newman (15-11, 8-5) has dropped three consecutive home meetings with Anderson (15-6, 10-3).
Taylor Keeran (Galion, Ohio) was the only player to finish in double figures in kills producing double-digits for the sixth time in her last night. The sophomore posted a dozen smashes on a .292 attack percentage.
"No matter what position we put her in, she has been an attacking force for us," Tiernan said. "Downstairs in the locker room, both of our right sides had 12 of our 20 points in the last set. Our right sides did a great job tonight and I am really excited for them."
Erin Edwards (Midlothian Va.) registered seven kills hitting .235 with a pair of block assists. Abbey Hildenbrand (Parker, Colo.) dished out 21 assists and Julia Wheeler (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) tallied nine digs.
Through two sets, the Eagles had as many kills as attack errors, six, but finished the night with 15 blasts in the third game to post a .069 hitting percentage with four blocks and three aces.
Known as the most efficient attacking team in the league, Anderson racked up six blocks in the opening set to pull away late. There were five early ties before a 9-6 burst put the Trojans ahead for good. The Eagles clawed back within one point five times before the visitors put away the opening game.
After winning back-to-back points to go ahead 2-1, the Eagles watched the Trojans win seven unanswered, the fifth time a team has won at least that many points in a row and first time since Sept. 11. It was a part of a 17-2 outburst that saw the deficit swell to 19-4 as the Anderson coasted to a 2-0 match lead.
There were six ties in the third and one lead change as C-N fell behind 19-15 after a 5-1 spurt by the Trojans. The Eagles trailed 21-20 losing the final four rallies of the night to fall in three sets.
Anderson finished under its season average for hitting percentage but racked up a .239 margin with 35 kills as five players had at least five. Sadie Kluner led the way with eight kills. Madison Roy dished out 32 assists and Meghan DeVaux was the only player in the match with 10-plus digs finishing with 11.
Coach Todd Hay's team racked up 11 blocks, the second-most recorded by the team on the year after entering the evening seventh in the league in blocks per set. The Trojans added nine service aces without making a service error.
The Eagles challenge Newberry on Friday night at 7 p.m. from Holt Fieldhouse to round out the short stint at Mossy Creek. Broadcast coverage airs on cneagles.com/live with video available courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network.
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