JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman starts their season off with a 1-3 record after competing in the Ray Thrasher Classic this weekend. The Eagles found their singular win against Alabama-Huntsville (1-3) on day one of the tournament. Day two got the best of the team, losing in three sets to Bemidji State (2-1) and 3-1 to Missouri St. Louis (4-0).
C-N vs BSU (14-25, 24-26, 19-25)
BSU started off with a 5-0 run in the first set ended by a kill from Julia Wheeler. C-N was able to close the deficit by three points before BSU caught a 14-4 lead. Taylor Adams was able to snag a kill and a few service aces to earn points for the Eagles but was then outscored by the Beavers 11-5 in the second half of the first set.
Bemidji State took the lead early on in set two marking a 15-4 count. The Eagles caught a handful of scoring runs to put some pressure on Bemidji State, tying the set for the first time at 24-24. The momentum was not enough for the Eagles, losing set two 26-24.
The Beavers caught another head start early on in the third set, claiming the trajectory of the match with an 8-1 lead. C-N was not able to close the distance between their opponents to less than six points until they crept up to close the gap at 19-18. Bemidji State pulled ahead again to claim the set and the match 3-0.
Carson-Newman shot .069 with Taylor Adams and Julia Wheeler leading the team in kills at five a pair, while Mckenna Hall and Carlee Allbaugh led in digs with seven each.
C-N vs #10 USML (14-25, 21-25, 25-23, 12-25)
Carson-Newman could not seem to find their footing in set one against USML. The tritons pulled ahead from the beginning only dropping a few scattered points to C-N before taking the set 25-14. In 37 attempts at the net, C-N scored off of eight and errored six times.
In set two, Mo. -St. Louis started out in the lead but Carson-Newman tied the score at 13-13 and caught a brief lead. The game remained tight before the Tritons pulled away to win the set 25-21.
Carson-Newman began the third match with pair of kills and back to back service aces from Bennett McCombs. They held the lead until a score of 7-5 when USML rode a five-point streak to come out in front of C-N. The two teams swapped scoring runs, tied the score 11 times, and traded the lead a total of six times. A kill from Calla Shotwell ended the set in favor of the Eagles.
USML pulled ahead fast in the fourth outscoring C-N 8-2 in the start of the set. Carson-Newman could not break their opponents lead and trailed a minimum of six points behind the Tritons for the remainder of the match. The Eagles did not make it to double digit points until USML had 22. The set concluded at 25-12, a final score of 3-1 for the Tritons to take the vicotry.
Carson-Newman heads home after the weekend to prepare for their first SAC match next Tuesday against Lincoln Memorial.
