JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After playing each of its first 12 matches of the year away from Mossy Creek, Carson-Newman plays at home for the first time in 2022 hosting UVA Wise on Friday at 6 p.m. before playing Emory & Henry on Saturday at 5 p.m. in South Atlantic Conference play.
Since 2018, Carson-Newman (10-2, 3-1) has used its home court advantage posting a 30-11 record with 15 sweeps. In the last 33 home outings the team has lost seven times with four of those occasions coming in five frames to Anderson, Queens, Mars Hill and Tusculum respectively. The Eagles have won three consecutive home openers since being swept by Wingate on Sept. 21, 2018.
Entering this weekend's action, UVA Wise (3-4, 0-3) has lost 54 consecutive conference outings including all 50 matches since it joined the SAC. The last league win came during their Mountain East days beating Glenville State on Oct. 20, 2018 in straight sets. Of the SAC losses, 41 have been sweeps including 17 of the 20 since the start of 2021.
The skid is the nation's longest conference losing streak with Saint Michael's (Northeast 10) and Southern Wesleyan (Conference Carolinas) sitting at 49. Expanding the drought to all three divisions, it is the second-longest mark of the 1,060 NCAA volleyball programs with Bryn Mawr's 58-contest skid in Division III's Centennial Conference the only other one longer that Wise.
Wise has not won double-digit matches in a year since 2016 when the unit went 10-24 and 8-8 in league action. Despite a .500 campaign of 14-14 in 2014, the Cavaliers have not had a winning record since 2007 when they went 25-16 when they were a member of the NAIA.
Kaylee Scarce ranks eighth in the SAC in kills per set with 3.14 with no one else on the roster posting more than 1.90. The sophomore posted double-digits in each of the first three but has not hit that mark in the last four.
Saturday will be the first time the Eagles face off against Emory & Henry (1-9, 1-3), a first-year member of the SAC. The Wasps lost every set of the first six matches before sweeping Wise on Sept. 6 with a sweep and back-to-back four-set losses since.
Last season, Kyla Kyle's team went 15-11 and won each of the final seven matches of the year. Carley Williams was a preseason third-team All-SAC pick and has posted one double-digit effort this year from her outside hitter role. Julissa Hopgood leads the team with three per set with 35 in the last three after missing five matches in a row.
Fans can use their FloSports subscription or sign up for one to watch the every contest all season long. Follow along to @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates.
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