JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman hosts Mars Hill Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse clinging to a one-match lead for the Mountain Division crown looking to gain separation in the South Atlantic Conference in the penultimate week of the regular season.
Under coach Ashley Tiernan, Carson-Newman (21-4, 12-2) is 14-3 when playing on Tuesdays with seven coming in straight stanzas. Mars Hill (15-6, 10-3) has been responsible for two of the three wins and is one of the two programs she has faced multiple times where she has a losing record, 1-3, with Anderson, 3-4.
One area that the Eagles have excelled this year is scoring surges posting 53 runs of at least 5-0 versus allowing 21. Of those bursts, 28 have been at least 6-0 or better against five by opponents. In the last five matches, the Orange and Blue have a 12-1 advantage in the category.
Tuesday's meeting is the 69th all-time meeting between the two programs with the Eagles holding a 41-27 overall advantage but the Lions have won each of the last three meetings with two coming in five frames. Carson-Newman's last win came in the 2019 SAC Quarterfinals, an Eagles sweep at Holt Fieldhouse.
In the first meeting this year, the total point differential was eight as the Lions swept C-N for the first time since 2018 in a contest that featured 22 ties and 11 lead changes. Emmagrace Cobb (Greensboro, N.C.) hit .556 with 10 kills and no errors on 18 swings and Hayden Barton (Hixson, Tenn.) tied a season high with 20 digs.
Mars Hill arrives to Mossy Creek riding the second-longest losing streak in the league falling in three in a row (UVA Wise has dropped six straight). Overall the team is 3-5 in its last eight after opening the year 12-1 winning each of its first 10 games, the last remaining undefeated team in the SAC.
Coach Mike Smith's team holds a 9-1 record at home this year but is 6-5 in road and neutral affairs for the year. The team's efficiency has dipped by more than 50 points this month while the blocking has dipped from 2.28 to 1.96. However, teams are still hitting .128 for the year, the second-best margin yielded in the league and No. 16 nationally.
Defensively, the team remains strong ranking fourth in the country with 18.63 digs per set and has at least 54 in each of the last eight with five of at least 70. Laela Jimenez is fourth individually with 5.65 digs per set posting nine outs with at least 20 including a season-high 34 at Tusculum on Sept. 6.
Sarah Goddard and Jana Cuk are one of the top duos in the league ranking second, 3.78, and sixth, 3.12, respectively in the area. The tandem combined to register 25 of the team's 40 kills in the first meeting. Goddard has been in double figures in 11 matches in a row since tallying nine against LMU on Sept. 20 and 16 total. Cuk is 10th in the league in hitting percentage at .331 with seven straight 10-plus kill nights and 14 overall.
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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