JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman volleyball (12-14, 9-5 SAC) closed out October with a thrilling five set victory over Emory & Henry (8-15, 4-9 SAC) on Friday night at the John Rutledge King Center. 

"I am excited about the win, we competed and fought for every point." said head coach Ashley Tiernan. " I am definitely impressed with Emory & Henry's growth over the past year, and they will definitely be a team to watch out for next year."

Carson-Newman is 4-0 against the Wasps since their first meeting in September 2022. Emory & Henry had never previously won even a set against the Eagles until Friday night, when they won two. 

The Eagles have not had a match go to five sets since October 6, against Wingate at Holt Fieldhouse. The match against Emory & Henry was only the fifth match to hit five sets this season. Carson-Newman is 4-1 in five set games in 2023 and 14-11 in the Ashley Tiernan Era. 

The Eagles led the Wasps in kills (67-62), hitting percentage (.256-.233), service aces (7-6), digs (71-64), and blocks (8.0- 7.0). 

Julia Wheeler held a match high 22 kills, and gathered 12 digs. Wheeler has the Eagles offensively in all but five matches this season. 

Taylor Adams collected a new career high with 18 kills against the Wasps with a .412 hitting percentage. 

Blair Cherry also recorded a career and season record with seven kills in only 14 attempts for a .500 efficiency. Cherry led the Eagles defensively on Friday night with 18 saves, and collected a double-double with  33 assists. 

Taylor Keeran and Emmagrace Cobb had eight kills and four block assists a piece. 

Emory & Henry was led offensively by Brianna Hogan with 18 kills and Julissa Hopgood with 16. Payton Rolfsen led the match with 46 assists. Defensively, Libby Bickelhaupt had 15 digs and Payton Rolfsen had 14. 

Set 1 (21-25)

The Wasps started out strong in the John Rutledge King Center, finding the largest lead of the set at 16-12. Despite efforts from C-N to close in, Emory & Henry maintained their distance to close out the first frame. 

Set 2 (25-22)

Despite a 14-7 deficit for the Eagles to begin play in set two, they came back to tie up for the first time at 17-17. After another pair of ties, C-N inched their way to the lead with the help of a five point run to place them 24-22 over the Wasps. A kill from Taylor Adams sealed the set for the Eagles. 

Set 3 (25-20)

After back and forth efforts from both teams, Carson-Newman grabbed some distance with a five point lead at 19-15 that gave them the momentum to finish out the set in the lead. The Eagles had a .406 hitting performance in the third frame, over Emory & Henry's .269.

Set 4 (18-25)

Emory & Henry took charge in set four, finding themselves with a seven point lead over the Eagles to conclude.

Set 5 (15-9)

After the fifth and final tie at 6-6, C-N jumped ahead into the lead 11-9. Despite timeout called for the Wasps to break their momentum, the Eagles returned with a four point scoring run to conclude the set and the match (3-2). 

Carson-Newman will stay on the road for their next match against Mars Hill on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6 pm.