WISE, Va. – Tying a bow on the regular season, Carson-Newman aims to hit the 25-win mark Friday night travelling to face UVA Wise at 6 p.m. from the Prior Center in South Atlantic Conference play.
The Eagles are one win shy of their seventh 25-win season as a program and would be the 11th team in Division II to reach the 25-win mark for the year. With a .857 winning percentage, Carson-Newman (24-4, 15-2) touts the 16th-best winning clip in the nation.
This season is the eighth time in program history that the Orange and Blue will finish in the top two of the SAC's overall standings and first time since doing so in back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015.
Friday's clash is the seventh meeting with UVA Wise (6-17, 2-15) with the Eagles winning each of the first six outings dropping two sets, one in March 2021 and on in November 2021. Otherwise, the club has walked away with four sweeps including the first meeting on Sept. 16.
In the first matchup, the Eagles mashed the ball at a season-high.453 margin while holding the Cavaliers to a .000 clip as Julia Wheeler (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) led all players with 15 smashes. Carlee Allbaugh (Tallahassee, Fla.) handed out 39 assists.
UVA Wise had lost its first 55 conference matches since joining the SAC before beating Coker at home on Oct. 1. It was the first league win came during their Mountain East days beating Glenville State on Oct. 20, 2018 in straight sets. The club has been swept 50 times in 64 league affairs.
Overall, the Cavs have won six times this year, the highest total since going 6-24 in 2017. Wise has not won double-digit matches in a year since 2016 when the unit went 10-24 and 8-8 in league action. Despite a .500 campaign of 14-14 in 2014, the Cavaliers have not had a winning record since 2007 when they went 25-16 when they were a member of the NAIA.
Coach Alyssa Hanley is coming off of a win sweeping Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday behind a .276 hitting percentage with Bailey Conner and Cassidy Farley each tallying 13 kills. The night was highlighted by a 25-13 throttling in the second.
Efficiency has been a big issue for the club this year ranking 258th nationally with a .110 hitting percentage and allowing a .233 hitting margin, 259th. The Cavs have hit below .100 10 times including five of .000 or worse while foes have hit at least .270 13 times.
Kaylee Scarce leads the roster with 2.61 kills per set but only has seven matches with at least 10 kills buoyed by a season-high 22 against Newberry on Oct. 7. Bailey Conner is second with 2.41 and has four double-digit nights since the start of October hitting the ball at a .205 margin.
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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