HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Seven Eagles posted at least four kills as Carson-Newman crushed Coker, 25-20, 25-5 and 25-11, in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday inside of the DeLoach Center to bounce back after its third loss of the season on Friday.
"I am proud of this team's resiliency to bounce back after a tough match," Carson-Newman coach Ashley Tiernan said. "We got on the court and took care of our jobs. Our rhythm together was key today and we executed nicely."
Carson-Newman (18-3, 11-2) has responded after each of its three losses this year with a sweep while beating Coker (5-15, 2-12) for the fourth straight meeting improving to 13-3 in the series.
The Eagles hit .350 as a team with nine service aces while limiting the Cobras to a .009 hitting clip. Julia Wheeler (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) was the only player in the match to hit double figures finishing with 13 hitting .355 adding 11 digs and a team-high two total blocks.
Blake Cherry (Cookeville, Tenn.) added a team-high 15 digs while cranking out seven smashes. Abbey Hildenbrand (Parker, Colo.) recorded a double-double with 25 assists and 10 digs and Hayden Barton (Hixson, Tenn.) added a dozen digs.
1️⃣3️⃣ @juliawheerr kills and 2️⃣ blocks
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 15, 2022
1️⃣5️⃣ @blakecherry11 digs
2️⃣5️⃣ @abbeyh65 assists
�� @CarsonNewmanVB sweep pic.twitter.com/gBj8PMka2w
The opening set featured all four ties and three lead changes in the match with the score tied at seven, C-N won five of six but the Cobras pulled even again at 14. Once again, the visitors won five of the next six getting the bulge it needed closing out the set on a kill by Hildenbrand.
To open up the second stanza, the Eagles rattled off each of the first 12 points, the longest scoring run of the year and longest by the program since winning the final 13 points in the first set against Limestone on April 6, 2021. It was a part of a nearly flawless game with the Eagles hitting .414 versus giving up three kills and forcing five errors in a 20-point set win.
In the third set, Carson-Newman came out swinging again winning each of the first six points and 13 of the first 16. Wheeler eventually put the finishing touches on the contest with a kill. In the final two sets, C-N posted 32 kills and five miscues compared to Coker's seven kills and 12 errors.
Lauren Loveday and Taylor Hils each notched a team-high six kills. The rest of the roster mustered eight kills while making 13 attack errors. Adriana Velez tallied 10 assists and Makayla Harris added 12 digs.
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. from Holt Fieldhouse against Tusculum. The game can be streamed on FloSports with a subscription. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram @CN_eagles for updates throughout the match.
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