HICKORY, N.C. – For the first time since 2011, Carson-Newman, seeded fifth, will travel to open up the 2021 South Atlantic Conference Tournament visiting fourth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
The Orange and Blue are 35-28 in the SAC Tournament all-time including a trio of titles in 2000, 2002 and 2019. The Eagles have appeared in six championship outings in 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2017 and 2019 recording a 3-3 mark. Each victory for C-N has come in straight sets while the losses came to Wingate in three and four frames respectively and Queens in four.
Eight schools have won a SAC Tournament Championship since 1990. Of those eight programs, Mars Hill and Lenoir-Rhyne are the only two that have not won multiple titles. Wingate leads the way with 14 championships followed by six from Presbyterian, three by Catawba and Carson-Newman and a pair by Gardner-Webb.
Carson-Newman (18-13) has won its opening round matchup in six straight matches. The last time it failed to advance past the first round was in a five set loss to a 27-0 Wingate team on Nov. 11, 2011, also the last time that the program travelled to open the SAC Tournament.
The programs are facing off for the 69th time with the Eagles holding the upperhand at 41-27 behind a sweep of the Bears on Oct. 19 winning for the seventh time in the last eight meetings. Julia Wheeler (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) was the only player in the match with double figures racking up 15 on a .250 hitting percentage adding eight digs, four aces, three block assists and two assists. Abbey Hildenbrand (Parker, Colo.) posted her 10th double-double of the season with 33 assists and 18 digs adding five block assists to pace the offensive effort that saw C-N tally 37 kills on a .126 hitting percentage.
Tuesday is the 10th time the team's meet in the SAC Tournament with Carson-Newman holding a commanding 8-1 lead over Lenoir-Rhyne (19-7) with its only win coming in the semifinals on Nov. 21, 2015 sweeping the Eagles.
In 2018, C-N swept L-R after a balanced effort by the team with Erin Edwards (Midlohtian, Va.) and Megan Oldenburger each recording nine kills. Morgan Ballard racked up 31 digs and Madison Rademacher posted a double-double with 12 assists and 10 digs.
The Bears entered the final week of the regular season in a three-way tie for first place but dropped a four-set affair at Mars Hill on Tuesday despite taking the first set 25-12. The club has dropped two of the last three after a seven-match winning streak.
Winners of 11 straight matches at home dating back to a loss to the Lions on Feb. 26, 2021, Lenoir-Rhyne 12-1 at home the last two years including an 8-0 mark this season versus a 10-7 record in road affairs. The winning streak is good for the 14th-longest active mark in the country and two behind Tusculum for the longest in the SAC.
Defense has been the unit's strongest suit this year ranking ninth in the nation with 19.19 digs per set and second in the conference with 2.06 blocks per set. Foes are hitting .143, the third-best margin in the SAC. Rachel Bewick leads the charge in the back with 5.75 digs per set ranking 15th in the country. Emma Clark is the team's top blocker with 1.10 per game, third in the conference.
Three-time All-SAC selection Taylor Prall is averaging 3.47 kills per set, third in the SAC, and is one of two players in Lenoir-Rhyne history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. She has 10 matches with at least 15 smashes with 31 total in the last seven sets.
Tuesday's winner advances to play the winner of top-seeded Tusculum and eighth-seeded Catawba on Friday at 4 p.m. at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center. Video and stats are available for the match provided by Lenoir-Rhyne. Fans are encouraged to follow @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and notes on the program.
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