MATCH NOTES

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Less than 24 hours after Carson-Newman departed for Tusculum on Friday night, the Eagles return to the floor at home to take on the Highland Cavaliers.

UVA-Wise (6-5, 1-2 SAC) visits Mossy Creek a night after taking down Coker in four sets to earn its first conference win. The Highland Cavaliers previously fell to Wingate and Limestone, both on the road.

Carson-Newman (8-3, 4-0 SAC) took down Tusculum on the road in a five-set thriller on Friday night, about 16 hours before first serve against the Highland Cavaliers. The win over the Pioneers led Carson-Newman to its first 4-0 conference start in a non-COVID season since 2015. A win over UVA-Wise on Saturday afternoon and Catawba on Tuesday would give the Eagles their first 6-0 SAC start since 2014.

In the non-conference, UVA-Wise shined, starting the season 3-1 at its own invitational tournament. Its lone loss the opening weekend came to Lees-McRae in four sets, a team Carson-Newman will see in late October. On a trip to South Florida, the Cavs went 2-2 at St. Leo, taking down the host Lions and St. Michael's but falling in straight sets to Valdosta State and St. Edward's.

Individually, UVA-Wise head coach Alyssa Hanley uses a combo of two primary attackers: Riley Brandon and Kaylee Scarce. Both have notched over 90 kills on the season, with Brandon leading the charge with 3.06 kills per set. The primary setter for the Highland Cavaliers is Piper Suddeth, but Lily Gutierrez gets a fair share of the bumps, as both have over 100 assists on the season.

Defensively, Abigail Curtis serves as the primary libero, just two digs away from 200 on the season. She averages 5.21 digs per set. UVA-Wise has collected 82 blocks during the season, primarily thanks to efforts from middle blockers Cassidy Farley and Serina Petersen. Each duo has over 30 blocks during the season, with Farley leading the charge with 41, which is enough for 1.11 blocks per set.

Despite the series history being renewed recently as Carson-Newman leads the series 9-0 since UVA-Wise joined the SAC in 2019, there is a storied history between the two programs dating back to when UVA-Wise was known as Clinch Valley.

Dating back to 1975, Carson-Newman has won each of its 15 meetings against the Highland Cavaliers.

Carson-Newman has been highlighted this season by sophomore setter Blair Cherry (Knoxville, Tenn.), who on Friday night surpassed tenth place in Carson-Newman program history in career assists. Additionally, Friday night saw libero Bennett McCombs (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) tally a new career-high with 26 digs.

Freshmen Maddie Hurst (Blaine, Tenn.) and Emerson Ahsmuhs (Placentia, Calif.) still lead the way in kills, while Hurst has teamed up with veteran middle blocker Taylor Keeran (Galion, Ohio) to lead the team in blocks.

First serve is set for 2:00 p.m. from Holt Fieldhouse in Jefferson City. Those not making it to the match can watch online with a subscription to FloSports or follow along online for free by following @CN_Eagles on X for live in-game updates. For those attending the match, faculty, students and anyone under 18 can get into the match for free, it is $5 for anyone else.