GAFFNEY, S.C. – Carson-Newman dropped its third straight and final regular season road match on Tuesday night.

Carson-Newman (16-9, 12-5 SAC) lost in four sets on the road to Limestone (7-14, 6-12 SAC), dropping both matches of the road trip in South Carolina in four sets. The team had lost to Coker last Friday night.

The Eagles have now lost three straight matches, delivering a blow to their odds of an at-large bid at the NCAA Tournament. They need at the very least a long run in the SAC Volleyball Tournament next week.

"Limestone played well tonight." Carson-Newman volleyball head coach Cat Collins said. "We had good and great moments but failed to control the mental game."

Maddie Hurst (Blaine, Tenn.) shined with 16 kills, hitting .430 on the night, while Taylor Adams (Covington, Ga.) collected 11 kills herself.

Addie Smith (Jonesborough, Tenn.) led the Eagles in assists for the second time this season, setting a new career-high with 26. Blake Cherry (Cookeville, Tenn.) led the charge in digs with 24, marking the second time this season the older Cherry has surpassed 20 digs.

The Eagles only mustered four blocks as a team on the night, with Emerson Ahsmuhs (Placentia, Calif.) leading the category with a solo block and an assisted block.

First Set (33-31, C-N) – In the Eagles' longest season set, they could take a back-and-forth affair after earning the initial match point 24-22. Limestone rallied back and alternated points with C-N until the Eagles flipped a 31-30 Limestone advantage to win the set. Adams helped the set along for the Eagles with six kills and a .500 percentage, while four service aces, including two from Blake Cherry, gave the Eagles an extra boost.

Second Set (25-16, LU) – Using an early 7-1 run, the Saints took a seven-point lead early in the set and never trailed. The Eagles struggled to string points together, with their largest run of the set being just three points. Kara Brantley (Knoxville, Tenn.) found a service ace in just her second match appearance of the season.

Third Set (25-20, LU) – Carson-Newman found itself in the driver's seat early, using a 5-0 run with Smith at the service line to take a four-point advantage. But after that point, the Eagles struggled to put points together again, with Limestone finding a side out at almost every opportunity. A four-point run to tie the set, followed by short two-point runs without an Eagle response, led Limestone to take the set lead in front of its home fans.

Fourth Set (25-16, LU) – It was a set of runs as the Saints set the pace early, using a 7-0 run to build an early lead before a mid-set 6-1 run put the score out of reach. The Eagles' theme of short runs occurred again, with its largest run being just three.

Limestone found a side out on 60 of Carson-Newman's 86 serves for a side-out percentage of 69%. The Eagles now look to the regular season finale back inside Holt Fieldhouse on Friday night against Anderson. Carson-Newman likely needs a win against the Trojans to secure a hosting spot in the SAC Tournament, but a win or a Mars Hill loss would be required to earn that right. Mars Hill has Newberry and Coker on its remaining schedule.

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