JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman volleyball (11-2, 4-1) defeated UVA Wise (3-5, 0-4) in straight sets, 25-8, 25-19, and 25-14 to win its home opener Friday night inside Holt Fieldhouse.
A great crowd on hand saw the Eagles win their fourth straight home opener and remain undefeated against UVA Wise.
'I feel like we've been playing for two months, which we kind of have been and we were finally able to come home for the first time," Carson-Newman coach Ashley Tiernan said. "It was really nice to play the way that we did on our home court and really come away with a big win.
The Eagles came out blazing hot, winning six of the first eight points to force a UVA Wise timeout. C-N carried that early momentum to a quick 25-8 route of the Cavaliers in set one.
The second set played out differently, as the Cavaliers battled throughout the set. C-N saw UVA Wise score six of the last seven points to cut C-N's lead to just one at 15-14. Coach Tiernan burned a timeout, and the Eagles responded scoring 10 of the final 15 points to take the second set.
Leading two sets to none, C-N scored first and never relinquished the lead in the third and final set to sweep the Cavaliers.
Senior Julia Wheeler paced the C-N attack, with 15 kills on just two errors. She also led the team with eleven digs. The double-double was her 9th this season and 24th for her career. With her 13th kill of the evening, she now has over 700 total kills in her college career.
"The people around me are the best characteristics that I have," Wheeler said. "We have such a great bond outside of volleyball and whenever we are at practice or weights. We all respect the grind and we are always ready to go and that's the key to my success, the people around me."
Juniors Taylor Keeran and Emmagrace Cobb both had efficient evenings with eleven and seven kills, respectively. Keernan's eleven kills tied her season high. Both her and Cobb hit above a .600 clip.
Junior Carlee Allbaugh recorded 39 assists, the second-most for her in a game this season.
The Eagles hit above .300 for the third time this season and are undefeated when doing so. The .453 clip is the highest this season.
C-N has a quick turnaround as it welcomes Emory & Henry inside Holt Fieldhouse tomorrow.
"I want the vibe to be the same, Coach Tiernan said. "I want the connections to be the same, everything looked like it was in rhythm tonight and I want to up our communication because that's what we are going to need going into the next game.
First serve is set for 5:00 pm.
The game can be streamed on FloSports with a subscription. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram @CN_eagles for updates throughout the match.
