Carson-Newman Volleyball Setters and Liberos Position Preview

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Posted: Aug 17, 2022

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – As practice ramps up and the start of the 2022 Carson-Newman volleyball season is coming into focus, it is time to open the 2022 position previews for the Eagles with a glance at the setters and liberos with senior setter Abbey Hildenbrand.

Coach Ashley Tiernan returns a big chunk of the team's production from the 2021 season with setter Taylor Rohr as the lone key player out of this group no longer on the roster. Playing in nearly 300 sets, Rohr posting nearly five assists per game leading the team in the category 44 times adding 18 double-doubles.

Hildenbrand led the team in her first year on campus with 16 double-doubles making the transition from Louisiana Tech seamless. The Parker, Colo. native led the team in assists for every match during 2022 and filled up the stat sheet.

"It was awesome," Hildenbrand said. "My teammates were awesome. My coaches made it awesome. Everyone was super welcoming. It was a blast. It was interesting to get thrown into different places and have teammates there to back you up."

Among the highlights of her season, the senior flirted with a triple-double on multiple occasions including finishing a kill shy of one against Lincoln Memorial on Sept. 14. She logged a career-high 10 kills with 29 assists at Coker on Oct. 8. Leading the attack, Hildenbrand put up an eye-popping 61 assists, 15 digs and six kills versus Mars Hill on Oct. 12. No C-N setter had more than 50 helpers since 2017 as the senior is the first Eagle with 60-plus assists since Anna Patton recorded 61 versus Augusta on Oct. 14, 2016, 140 games and 1,848 days prior.

"I have been getting a little better at my decision-making for setting," Hildenbrand said. "Some more swings. We have some more aces hopefully coming this way and getting better defensively."

Vying for time at the setting position is Lees-McRae transfer Carlee Allbaugh (Tallahassee, Fla.) and sophomore Ella Gamble (Cullowhee, N.C.). Allbaugh, the 2020 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, posted 21 double-doubles during the season and finished with a season-high 50 assists against Emory & Henry on Sept. 10.

In the back row, the Orange and Blue returns four liberos led by former All-Freshman team selection Hayden Barton (Hixson, Tenn.). The senior has played the last two seasons as the club's primary setter tallying more than 700 scoops. She has led the team in digs 38 times and tallied a career-high five service aces adding 24 digs and three assists in a four-set win over Converse on Sept. 4.

"It's so cool to have a tight bond with her and whoever is your libero," Hildenbrand said. "Those are two big leadership roles on the court. Being able to go from that pass to the set to convert it into the kill."

McKenna Hall (Bristol, Wis.) became one of the best serving weapons in the region racking up at least five aces in three matches in 2021. She added three contests with at least 10 digs and produced a career-high 26 digs in a five-match at Union on Sept. 18. Sophomores Cameron Batis (Joliet, Ill.) and Bennett McCombs (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) will factor into the back row.

Part two of the position previews will highlight the outsides and middles with senior all-region outside hitter Julia Wheeler scheduled to be released on Thursday. Carson-Newman opens the 2022 campaign on Aug. 26 against Alabama Huntsville at noon in the first of four matches at Trevecca Nazarene's Trojan Fieldhouse.

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