JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman finishes its two-match trip to the Palmetto State, taking on Newberry from Eleazer Arena for the first time since 2021. 

Carson-Newman (12-6, 8-2 SAC) is looking to rebound after a loss to non-conference foe Lander last week by beginning this week of SACtion with a road contest at Newberry (4-9, 1-7 SAC). 

 

Newberry is currently trying to snap a four-match losing skid, during which it has only won one set, the first set on the road at Lincoln Memorial, before the Railsplitters provided the backdoor sweep. 

 

The Wolves started the season hot, going 2-1 at the Chowan Tournament. Their only loss came in a rare non-conference matchup with LMU. They would add another non-conference win at Francis Marion.

 

This season, Newberry's last of four wins came in its only conference win thus far, a sweep against a reeling Catawba side. Most recently, the Wolves are coming off a Saturday road sweep at UVA-Wise. 

 

Individually, the Wolves are led by Samantha Shaffer and Kate Brown, who have 83 and 66 kills, respectively. However, five other Wolves have over 25 kills on the season for kill-per-set ratios of over one. 

 

The top Newberry setter is another combo of two players, Annie Dill and Giovanna Ravanhani, who have 155 and 152 assists, respectively. Of note, no other Newberry student-athlete has more than 31 assists on the season. 

 

Defensively, it is another two-woman duo. Kate Brown and Katy Morrison are the only two Wolves with over 100 digs on the season and a dig-per-set ratio of over two. Up front, the Wolves turn to Madison Watson, who has 44 total blocks on the season for just over one per set. 

 

Carson-Newman has seen the development of freshman outside and middle blocker Bella Cardello (Fountain Hills, Ariz.), who has come up with four blocks in the past three matches. Also, libero Bennett McCombs (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) has collected 20 digs or more in the past three matches. 

 

The Eagles look to get back on track in South Atlantic Conference play after dropping recent matches against Lincoln Memorial and Wingate. They sit in third place in the conference standings behind Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne, the latter of whom they will face inside the confines of Holt Fieldhouse on Friday evening. 

 

The series history between Newberry and Carson-Newman is lopsided, with the Eagles holding a 44-10 advantage since the seasons were recorded in 1992. The Eagles have won the previous 11 meetings with the Wolves and will be making their first trip to Eleazer Arena since 2021, a facility where the Eagles have won the previous three meetings. 

 

First serve is set for 6:00 p.m. inside Eleazer Arena in Newberry, S.C. Those planning on attending the match can buy tickets online via Newberry's athletics website. You can also stream the game with a subscription via FloSports ($) and follow along for free on X by following @CN_Eagles. To keep up with Carson-Newman volleyball, follow us on social media @CN_Eagles on X and Instagram or Facebook at Carson-Newman Athletics.