VIDEO: Ashley Tiernan Interview
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the second season in a row, Carson-Newman is scheduled to play four matches over the opening weekend of the season playing Alabama Huntsville at noon and Trevecca Nazarene at 8 p.m. on Friday before hitting the court at 2 p.m. against King and 6 p.m. versus Christian Brothers on Saturday to conclude the action.
"We know Friday is going to be a tough day," Carson-Newman coach Ashley Tiernan said. "We know Saturday is not going to be a walk in the park. It's going to be a tough day as well. Our biggest goal for this week is to get in a rhythm and find who our core people are going to be, figure out what pieces we are going to put to the puzzle and where that's going to take us."
The only time the Eagles have won all four matches in the opening tournament of the year came in 2010 when they won each of the first five affairs of the year setting the stage for an NCAA Tournament run. Carson-Newman is 18-12 in season openers all-time. Dating back to 2006, the Eagles have won 13 of their last 16 lidlifters with the lone blemishes coming in a five-set loss to Francis Marion to begin the 2012 season, the 2016 season opener versus second-ranked and defending national champion Wheeling Jesuit, a four-set loss in Pensacola, Fla and a four-set defeat to UNC Pembroke in 2021.
This season marks the seventh time in the last eight campaigns that the Orange and Blue hit the road to open up the year. During the contests away from home, the club is 14-11 returning to Mossy Creek with a winning record five times.
"We are excited to be on the road quite a bit so that we can find that rhythm before we are home," Tiernan said. "We are going to travel and bond together quite a bit before we get to showcase in front of our home fans. That rhythm is going to fall into place pretty quickly."
Carson-Newman opens the year against Alabama Huntsville in the first meeting between the programs since November 2004 with the Chargers winning five of the first six. The Eagles lone victory came in five sets on Aug. 31, 2002, a five-set victory.
UAH won 21 matches in 2021 earning the No. 6 six in the NCAA Tournament's South Regional where it was swept by Nova Southeastern. Playing in the Gulf South Conference, it clashed with a pair of ranked teams and lost in straight sets to eventual National Champion Tampa in a non-conference affair.
The club needs to replace AVCA Honorable Mention All-American Kendall Scharbert, who pounded out 257 kills on a .306 hitting percentage adding 108 total blocks. She finished fourth in program history with a .292 efficiency mark.
It will also be the seventh meeting between the Eagles and the hosts, Trevecca, with C-N coming out ahead in five of the first six affairs including a sweep in Nashville last season. Taylor Keeran (Galion, Ohio) and Skylor Weaver (Katy, Texas) combined for 15 kills on 25 swings without an error to lead Carson-Newman a sweep. In the match, the Orange and Blue hit .229 marking the fifth time in the last nine affairs that the club hit at least .200.
The Trojans had an up-and-down season in 2021 posting 19 victories before bowing out in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Semifinals to Hillsdale in the league semifinals. Hillsdale advanced to the National Quarterfinals and was seeded fourth in last year's NCAA Tournament.
Projected to finish second in the South Division, five players were named to the all-conference team in 2021 led by Ellie Buffer who is top 10 in program history in five different categories needing 51 kills to join the quadruple digit mark.
Saturday kicks off with the 40th meeting against King as the Tornado hold a 23-16 overall edge bolstered by winning the first 19 matches. Since 2001, the Eagles are 16-4 and have won each of the last three most recently a four-set win on Sept. 6, 2019.
King went 15-15 overall and won 10 of its 18 Conference Carolinas contests. The team dropped its final five affairs of the season and were swept nine times overall.
Julie Danner returns to the fold for this season's action after leading the team with 308 total smashes and took over 300 more swings than her teammates. Among a host of big matches, she posted a season-high 23 in a five-set win over Emory & Henry.
For the second straight year and fourth time overall, the Eagles collide with Christian Brothers sweeping the meeting a year ago behind a .349 hitting clip, the highest margin since a .361 tally against Catawba on Oct. 5, 2019. Erin Edwards led the way on the day with 13 kills on a .579 hitting margin adding a team-high two total blocks.
It has been tough sledding for the Bucs of late posting five straight losing campaigns and winning nine of the last 59 matches since the start of 2019. The team last produced a winning record in 2016 going 18-14.
Follow along to @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates with stats and video available on portal.stretchinternet.com/Trevecca.
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