Match Notes

Cat Collins Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman hits the road for its second and final non-conference tournament as it will participate in the USC Aiken Invite in Aiken, S.C.

The Eagles will take on Francis Marion on Friday at 3:00 p.m. before taking on the hosting USC Aiken Pacers at 6:00 p.m. The next day, Carson-Newman concludes its tournament with matches against Montevallo at 11:00 a.m. and No. 25 Augusta at 6:00 p.m. Three matches will take place at the Convocation Center's Main Court and will be streamed, while the Montevallo match will take place on the Upper Court with no video stream accessible.

"We have to make sure we're focused on ourselves. Making sure that we're very disciplined going into this weekend because we're going to see different offenses and speeds of the game." Carson-Newman volleyball head coach Cat Collins said. "Making sure we're more focused on us, our discipline, and what we're going to do to stop them."

The USC Aiken Invite is Carson-Newman's second of two regular-season non-conference tournaments. Last weekend, it went 2-1 at the Union Volleyball Classic, taking down Harding and Union (Tenn.). However, in its season opener, it lost to now No. 4 Missouri-St. Louis.

Last season, Carson-Newman took on USC Aiken and Augusta, going a combined 0-4 against the Pacers and Jaguars.

North Greenville also makes the trek to Aiken but is the lone program Carson-Newman will not face this weekend.

The tournament is a homecoming for Carson-Newman freshman outside hitter Annie Dziczkowski, a native of Aiken, S.C., coming to Mossy Creek out of South Aiken High School. Dziczkowksi is part of a solid group of Eagle freshmen, including Emerson Ahsmuhs and Maddie Hurst, who have led the Eagles in kills in their four matches this season. Of note, Blair Cherry is 98 assists away from 1,000 career assists and will likely reach the milestone this weekend in South Carolina.

Francis Marion- The Patriots head down to Aiken after a 1-2 start to their season at the Coker Cobra Classic. Defeating the host Cobras in five sets in the season opener, FMU found losses in back-to-back matches against Wingate and West Virginia Wesleyan. Offensively, the Pats are led by junior middle blocker Caroline Lucas, who racked up 32 kills in Hartsville last weekend. The top setter is Mya Mendoza, who averages 8.75 assists/set with 105 assists on the season. Defensively, Francis Marion does not have a true libero, with junior Katie Floyd filling that role, leading the team in digs. Caroline Lucas and Kaytlin Smart lead the team in blocks. Carson-Newman holds a 6-4 advantage against the Patriots, and the last meeting up on the same court in Aiken in 2022 was a sweep for the Eagles. Carson-Newman has won the previous two meetings with Francis Marion, with its last loss to the Pats coming in 2012.

USC Aiken- The Pacers enter their tournament with a 2-1 record from the Coker Cobra Classic. USC Aiken won over hosts Coker and Belmont Abbey before dropping its final weekend match against Wingate in straight sets. The Pacers currently have four athletes above 20 kills on the season, led by junior middle blocker Anna Sommer, and have two setters that split duties in Tabor Scanlon and Sidney Hogan. Defensively, Aiken splits libero duties between senior Sadie McCay and sophomore Lexi Rogers. Sommer is the top middle with ten blocks, enough for a block per set. The Pacers lead the Eagles 12-7 all-time and hold a two-match winning streak in the all-time series history.

Montevallo- The Eagles match up with the Falcons on Saturday morning for the first time in nine years. It has not been an excellent start for the Montevallo volleyball team, beginning the 2024 campaign with a 0-4 mark at the Reddie-Tiger Invitational in Arkadelphia, Ark. The Falcons fell to Henderson State, Missouri S&T, Ouachita Baptist, and Southeastern Oklahoma State, getting swept in every match except for the Missouri S&T match where they fell in four sets. Bulgarian freshman Nikol Antova leads the outsides with 35 kills, while senior setter Colton Thompson has been the top setter for the Falcons. Defensively, keep your eye on libero Ava Wind and middle blocker Danielle Greene to lead Montevallo in the backcourt. Carson-Newman and Montevallo have split their six meetings against each other, with Carson-Newman winning the last two. It will be the first meeting between the two programs on a neutral court.

No. 25 Augusta – The Eagles wrap up the weekend slate with their toughest test against the nationally-ranked Jaguars. Augusta went a perfect 3-0 at the Florida Southern Tournament in Lakeland last weekend, taking down the hosts Florida Southern, No. 14 Lewis, and Palm Beach Atlantic. All three matches went four sets or longer. The Jaguars feature three outsides with over 30 kills and are led in the setting category by graduate student Janvier Buggs, who leads the team with 69 assists. Defensively, graduate libero Guilia Rodrigues leads the Jags in digs. Middle blocker Jada Suguturaga leads the team in blocks, of which the Jaguars have collected 50 total blocks in their three matches. Carson-Newman leads the all-time series 13-6 but has dropped the last three meetings, including two just last season.

Three of Carson-Newman's USC Aiken Invite matches will be live-streamed on the Peach Belt Conference Network for free. You can find the link at CNEagles.com. The Montevallo match will only provide live stats. You can follow along for free on social media @CN_Eagles on X and Instagram and Carson Newman Athletics on Facebook for all matches. All live stats and match notes can be found online at CNEagles.com.