JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The freshmen dominate Lincoln Memorial inside Holt Fieldhouse for a SAC-opening win for Carson-Newman.
Carson-Newman (3-1, 1-0 SAC) dominated Lincoln Memorial (3-1, 0-1 SAC) after the first set. A pair of freshmen, Emerson Ahsmuhs and Maddie Hurst, each had a hitting percentage of over .400 and combined for 30 kills.
"This team is great. They're such a great group, they're easy to lead, they're hard workers." Carson-Newman volleyball head coach Cat Collins said. "To be able to have freshmen step in and step up, at this high of a level is amazing."
First Set (26-24, LMU) - Lincoln Memorial took a back-and-forth first set, hitting over .300 as a team. The set featured 13 ties and three lead changes as the Railsplitters had to go over 25 points to claim the set.
Second Set (25-23, C-N) - A flurry of LMU attacking errors gave C-N an early 7-2 advantage in the set before Lincoln Memorial head coach John Cash called timeout. The timeout worked as LMU pulled an 8-2 run together, eventually pulling into a tie at 15. Late in the set, two untraditional kills from setter Blair Cherry lifted the Eagles to tie the score.
Third Set (25-13, C-N) - Five kills and two service aces to begin the set helped the Eagles storm out to a quick 9-2 advantage in the third frame, and they never looked back. Errors plagued the Splitters as they hit -.107 in the set. On the other side, C-N had its best set of the night, hitting .370 with three blocks, assisting the Eagles to the dominant set win.
Fourth Set (25-18, C-N) - Another fast start for Carson-Newman pushed Lincoln Memorial into a 10-2 hole using three service aces, two from Trinity Hafey and another from Blake Cherry. LMU fought back, bringing the set within five, but the effort was in vain as Carson-Newman finished off the Splitters with a team-leading 18th kill from Emerson Ahsmuhs.
Highlights - Emerson Ahsmuhs earned Food City Player of the Night honors, collecting 18 kills and eight digs, and hit .441 on the night. Blair Cherry surpassed 900 career assists, collecting 38 more in Holt Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. Blake Cherry led the way in digs with 19.
The Eagles hit the road for another tournament, this time to Aiken, S.C., for the USC Aiken Invite. There, they will take on the hosts, USC Aiken, Francis Marion, Montevallo, and No. 25 Augusta.
