JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman volleyball heads to Hickory, N.C on Friday night for a SAC matchup with Lenoir-Rhyne (16-6, 10-1 SAC). The following day, the Eagles will pay visit to Greenwood, S.C for some Peach Belt competition with Augusta (16-4, 4-1 PBC) and Lander (21-2, 7-0 PBC).
C-N v Lenoir-Rhyne (16-6, 10-1 SAC)
Friday night will mark the 71st meeting between the Carson-Newman Eagles and the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. C-N leads 42-28 overall and 17-14 at the Shuford Arena. The Eagles have won eight of the last 10 matches, and are 4-2 since Ashley Tiernan took over as head coach. The Eagles and Bears met once in 2022, ending as a 3-1 victory for C-N.
Lenoir-Rhyne is 10-1 in SAC matches this season, having only lost once to Wingate (3-0).
The Bears lead the conference in team assists (969), team digs (1,519), team kills (1,047), and team attacks (3,195).
Kathy Peter leads the SAC in total blocks (93), 7th in the nation. 3rd in the league for hittign percentage (.346). Emmaleigh Allen is second in the league points per set (4.10), second in SAC, 22nd in nation for total kills (290). Lyndsie Warren second in the league total digs (311)
Head coach Nicole Barringer's team is 7-2 at home so far this season.
C-N v Augusta (16-4, 4-1 PBC)
Carson-Newman and Augusta will face off for the second time this season on Saturday at 12:00 pm. The Eagles were defeated by the Jaguars 3-0 (15-25, 22-25, 17-25) at the USC Aiken Invitational earlier this season.
Jazmyn Wheeler led offensively with 12 kills and Dariana Luga led defensively with 16 digs. Both teams earned 34 kills but August held a .245 hitting percentage over Carson-Newman's .144. Augusta also earned more digs (40-35) service aces (10-3), and blocks (5.0-3.0).
Head coach Sharon Quarles has led her team to a 16-4 record so far this season and have won 14 of their last 15 games. Augusta has also faced Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate as SAC competition. They lost to Wingate 3-3 and beat Lenoir-Rhyne 3-0.
CN v Lander (21-2, 7-0 PBC)
Saturday at 7:30 pm marks the 18th meeting between Carson-Newman and Lander. C-N leads 12-5 overall and 4-0 at Finis Horne Arena. The Eagles and Bearcats are tied 1-1 since Ashley Tiernan became head coach. She led the Eagles to a 3-0 sweep over Lander in their single meeting last season.
Lander has found a lot of success on the court this season, standing 21-2 before the weekend begins. They are undefeated in their conference and at home this year.
Jeff Reynold's crew leads the Peach Belt Conference in seven of the 15 statistical areas ranked by the NCAA. They are ranked 6th nationally in team kills (1,019), 10th in opp hitting percentage (.121), 19th in digs per set (17.68), and 15th in team digs (1,397).
Lander Volleyball has only seen SAC competition twice this season. They swept both Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne.
First serve on Friday night is set for 6 pm. As always fans can follow along fans Flo Sports with a subscription or head to @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates. First serve on Saturday is set for 12 and 7:30 pm. Lander will provide a live stream and live stats. The livestream can be accessed at pbcsportsnetwork.com/landerbearcats. Live stats can be accessed at landerbearcats.com/sidearms/wvball/summary.
