SALISBURY, N.C. – Riding four consecutive sweeps, Carson-Newman hits the road to open up October on Saturday for a 2 p.m. first serve against Catawba in South Atlantic Conference action from Goodman Gym.
The Eagles have recorded four sweeps in a row for the first time since Oct. 10-20, 2015, all four matches coming on the road. The team also had a four-match stretch from Sept. 5-18 while the most recent string of five in a row coming in 2007 from Sept. 1-8.
Carson-Newman (14-2, 7-1) is off to its best 16-match start since 2015 when the team opened the year 14-2 closing the year with 29 wins and a regional championship. If the Orange and Blue wins on Saturday it would be the fastest the team has reached 15 wins in a year since 2007 when the team opened the campaign 15-2.
On Saturday, it will be the 73rd all-time meeting with Catawba (3-10, 1-5) with the Indians holding a 38-34 edge. The Eagles had rattled off eight straight wins before falling in five frames on Nov. 6, 2021 at Goodman Gym. In that match, C-N led 2-0 and 14-11 in the fifth set before dropping five points in a row to end its five-match road winning string.
Catawba has lost three straight matches and eight of its last 10 and is tied for the second-fewest wins in league action on the year. The group has won five total sets in SAC action, the fourth-fewest in the league. Six of the team's losses have come in three games while the three victories have come against teams with a combined 10 victories.
For the year, the Indians rank last in the SAC in blocks per set (1.08) and digs per set (12.25) allowing opponents to hit .214 for the season. In 10 of the 13 matches, the team has tallied four or fewer blocks for the match.
Attacking efficiency has not been much better ranking 10th with a .122 hitting percentage and kills per set with 10.05. Catawba has hit below .200 on 10 occasions including a pair of matches hitting negative.
The one strong area for the team has been at the service line ranking fourth in the conference with 1.66 aces per set. The unit has had at least seven aces in three of the last four with two matches for the season with at least 10 and a season-high 14 in the opener against Paine.
Coach Brenn Larson Ferguson did not have the benefit of having a preseason All-SAC selection after second-team all-league honoree Allison Bryant graduated. Ashley Johnson is the only player posting more than two kills per set with 2.51 with five double-digit efforts for the year. In the team's three wins, she has six attack errors while she has 43 in the 10 losses, a different of nearly .300 in hitting percentage.
Fans can use their FloSports subscription or sign up for one to watch the match on Saturday and every contest all season long. Follow along to @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates.
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