JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - For the first time since 2019, Carson-Newman (8-8, 6-2 SAC) volleyball will host the No. 24 Wingate Bulldogs (12-2, 5-1 SAC) to Holt Fieldhouse on Friday at 6 p.m.
The match has been themed a pink out for breast cancer awareness month.
It has been 692 days since the Eagles lost a regular season conference match on home turf, when Tusculum took down Carson-Newman on Nov 12, 2021. The orange and blue have dominated in Holt Fieldhouse this season, dropping only 4 out of 12 sets played.
Friday night marks the first time Wingate will step foot in Holt Fieldhouse since 2019 when the Eagles gathered their first victory over the Bulldogs since 2014. The Carson-Newman v. Wingate series history dates back to 1992 with a total of 71 matches played. The Eagles trail behind 16-55, collecting their longest run of six wins between 2000-2003. Carson-Newman is 2-3 against the Bulldogs since head coach Ashley Tiernan took office in 2019. C-N went 0-2 against the Bulldogs in 2022, losing once in regular and once in post-season action at the SAC title match.
The Eagles have won six of their last 10 matches to sit with an overall record of 8-8. After five weeks in season, the orange and blue stand fifth in the conference for aces per set (1.74), ninth in assists per set (10.81), tenth in blocks per set (1.67), 11th in digs per set (15.10), eighth in hitting percentage (.172), and ninth in kills per set (11.59).
Julia Wheeler remains the SAC leader in total attacks (678) and attacks per set (11.69). She also falls third in total kills (201), points per set (3.85), and kills per set (3.47). Blair Cherry falls into the top five in total assists with 334. Emmagrace Cobb falls sixth as well in total blocks with 40 on the season.
Head coach Lauren Tekavec's team was the preseason favorite for the 18th straight year. They began the season with a 6-0 run before catching their first loss to Eckerd. Wingate has seen defeat only one other time this season, to Anderson on Sept. 22. The five set match loss to the Trojans was Wingate's first conference loss since last October.
The Bulldogs have proven their strength offensively, with four players ranking top 10 in the conference for hitting efficiency. Their .275 kill perecentage as a unit is good for first in the SAC and seventh nationally. They also lead the league in assists per set, opposite hitting percentage, and kills per set. Wingate is ninth in the SAC in digs per set averaging 15.69 per frame. They rank 10th in total team digs with 659. Lenoir-rhyne currently leads SAC wide with 1,100 on the season. Carson-Newman falls fourth in this category with 876 team digs.
Wingate has had three players earn SAC player of the week awards this season. Emily Johnson was named defensive player of the week on Sept. 18. This past week, league officials announced Maggie Mullen as defensive player and Maggie Young as offensive player after posting a .649 hitting efficency week. AVCA honorable mention All-American Young leads SAC players in hitting percentage with an average of .421. She ranks in the top ten nationally.
First serve for the pink out match is scheduled for 6 p.m in Holt Fieldhouse on Friday Oct 6. To follow along, fans can watch on Flo Sports with a subscription or head to @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates.
