HICKORY, N.C. – On an evening when each team averaged at least 15 kills per set, fourth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne overcame a 1-0 deficit to bounce fifth-seeded Carson-Newman from the South Atlantic Conference Tournament Tuesday at Shuford Gym in four sets, 17-25, 28-26, 25-22 and 25-14, overshadowing a monster evening from Erin Edwards.
"We always want the win but definitely showed a lot of fight tonight," Carson-Newman coach Ashley Tiernan said. "We struggled to finish the second and third sets in the last five points which took a toll on us emotionally and physically. The fourth set got away from us and we just couldn't get ourselves back in the game."
Edwards led all players in the match with a career-high 21 kills bypassing her prior best of 19 in the 2019 NCAA Southeast Regional title match on Dec. 7, 2019. The Midlothian, Va. native produced a .409 hitting percentage. Her career tally sits at 966 after the evening.
Overall, Carson-Newman (18-14) posted a .248 hitting clip, one of the highest of the year, with 60 kills tossing in 5.5 blocks, 78 digs and three service aces. Julia Wheeler (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) added another big night with 16 kills and 18 digs for her 14th double-double of the year.
Taylor Keeran (Galion, Ohio) tacked on 10 smashes hitting .450 on 20 swings. Abbey Hildenbrand (Parker, Colo.) dished out 44 assists with 15 digs and five kills.
Five Eagles finished with double-digit digs. Blake Cherry (Cookeville, Tenn.) notched 17, Hayden Barton (Hixson, Tenn.) had 16 and Taylor Rohr (Windsor, Colo.) added 10.
Carson-Newman's six-match winning streak in the conference quarterfinals comes to an end with Lenoir-Rhyne (20-7) handing the Eagles their first opening round loss since Nov. 11, 2011, also the last time the unit travelled to start the postseason.
The Bears earn their second win ever against C-N in the SAC Tournament as the Eagles edge closes to 8-2. The only other setback came on Nov. 21, 2015 in the conference semifinals. Lenoir-Rhyne improved its home winning streak to a dozen, the 14th-longest active string in the country.
To open up the match, the Eagles pulverized the ball to a .458 hitting margin behind five kills from Edwards and Wheeler and four from Keeran. After C-N won the first three points the set settled into a back-and-forth affair but with the teams even at 11, the visitors rattled off four in a row to build a bulge before winning the final five capped by a smash from Wheeler to take a 1-0 edge.
In a slugfest of a second set where the clubs each racked up 20 kills, there were 19 ties and seven lead changes. Carson-Newman went ahead 18-16 only to see the Bears win three in a row and eight of the next 11 to get to set point at 24-21. The Eagles won the next four and had set points at 25-24 and 26-25 but L-R won the final three taking the game on its fourth set point to even the match.
For the third set in a row each team hit at least .219 but the Bears had 18 kills and hit .333 to hold the advantage in the game. In another tight tussle, the Eagles went on top 16-14 only to give up three straight and never led again. With the score knotted at 21, the home group won four in a row to seal a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth, the home side came out of the gates swinging breaking a three-all tie with a 6-1 burst to go on top 10-4. Lenoir-Rhyne maintained the advantage and coasted to the victory winning five of the final seven points finishing with 17 kills and a .429 hitting percentage in the set.
Four Bears finished in double figures in the kills column as the team recorded 68, the most by a C-N opponent in a four-set match this year by 14 kills over USC Aiken's 54 on Sept. 3. The Bears hit .301, the second time in Tiernan's tenure, both this year, an opponent hit over .300.
Colette Romp paced the crew with 19 kills hitting .405. Taylor Prall was not far behind with 17 on a .265 clip. Emma Clark registered a dozen hitting .348 with a game-high seven block assists and Alannah Thomas notched 10.
MacKenzie Hulsey produced 55 assists, 16 digs and five kills while Rachel Bewick led the back line with 20 digs. All told, the defense posted 72 scoops and 10 blocks.
The Eagles turn their sights towards the official NCAA selection show scheduled to air Monday night, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m. on ncaa.com where the 64 teams from Division II will be announced for the 2021 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championships.
- CN -
