VIDEO: Ashley Tiernan Interview
VIDEO: Abbey Hildenbrand Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In each set Carson-Newman found a late push to topple Newberry in straight sets, 25-21, 25-22 and 25-21, Friday evening at Holt Fieldhouse to win a ninth straight match over the Wolves in South Atlantic Conference action.
"We pride ourselves on that a little bit right now because our practices are an all-out dogfight," Carson-Newman coach Ashley Tiernan said. "With the depth we have on this team, we hold that composure during practice on either side of the net allows us to win games like this and hold our composure and finish them out."
Carson-Newman (13-2, 6-1) earned a third straight sweep while beating Newberry (6-8, 1-5) in straight stanzas for the fifth time during the current winning streak.
Julia Wheeler (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) produced a flawless effort on the pin with 14 kills hitting .452 adding 15 digs for her team-leading 10th double-double of the year chipping in a pair of service aces.
Molly Langford (Olathe, Kan.) entered Friday with 13 kills in seven matches for the year but tallied eight smashes on a .200 hitting margin. Emmagrace Cobb (Greensboro, N.C.) added six.
Abbey Hildenbrand (Parker, Colo.) returned to the floor after missing four straight matches filling up the stat sheet with 17 assists, eight digs, five kills and three block assists.
"I was on adrenaline," Hildenbrand said. "My teammates pushed me. Newberry played great so it was easy to get a rhythm and work hard. We have played with each other for so long we know where each other is going to be, battle and finish off the set."
Carlee Allbaugh (Tallahassee, Fla.) dished out a team-high 23 assists and Hayden Barton (Hixson, Tenn.) led all players with 15 digs.
1️⃣4️⃣ @juliawheerr kills
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) September 24, 2022
1️⃣5️⃣ @hbarton12 digs
2️⃣1️⃣ @AllbaughCarlee assists
1️⃣.5️⃣ @abbeyh65 blocks
�� @CarsonNewmanVB busted out the brooms for the eighth time in 2022 pic.twitter.com/Wx0G3tToqX
Newberry held the lead for a good chunk of the opening set with the Eagles lone lead for most of the game coming at 8-7. The club trailed 17-15 before winning seven of the next eight to surge ahead and closed on a 10-4 burst overall to win the first on a kill by Wheeler.
The story was similar in the second stanza with four early ties before a 5-0 sequence by the Wolves gave the unit a lead that swelled to 17-12 before another 7-1 run tied the score at 17. The Wolves went on top 21-19 before the Eagles won three straight and finished off the set winning six of the final seven on a blast by Hildenbrand.
In the third, it was the Eagles turn to jump out to a big lead going on top 7-2 out of the gates but the Wolves responded to tie the score on two occasions including 14-14 but a 5-1 burst gave the home group the edge sealing the match on a service error.
No one on Newberry finished in double figures for kills with Taylor Hall and Samantha Shaffer each logging nine. Avery Webb handed out 23 assists and Olivia Bradley had 13 digs.
The Eagles return to the floor to close out September on Saturday night at 5 p.m. hosting Anderson at Holt Fieldhouse. Fans can watch the match using their subscription on FloSports.
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