Pair of losses finish out C-N's home slate
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman was only able to take one match in the two duals it played on Sunday, falling in both matches at the C-N Sand Courts to close out its home schedule.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman was only able to take one match in the two duals it played on Sunday, falling in both matches at the C-N Sand Courts to close out its home schedule.
The Eagles (2-18) have lost all three of their meetings with Stevenson (7-7) this season.
Grace Seymour and Morgan Siwiec took a three-set win over the Mustangs' combo of Emily Castro and Carolina Dangel in the second-seeded flight but it came after Stevenson had already solidified its win on the day.
Lincoln Memorial (4-6) notched its' second-straight win over the Orange and Blue on the season, handing C-N its 10th shutout loss this year.
"Lots of good fights in our duals today and some duds, a very mixed bag overall," Director of Beach Volleyball David Franklin said. "Our program is in a place right now where we must stick to a process and our measurement of success cannot be only through the scoreboard."
Match 1: Stevenson 4, C-N 1
Dilyn Palmer and Taryn Nichols took on Mackenzie Blevins and Sarah Riggin at the No. 5 flight. The C-N pair suffered a pair of losses to start the day, 21-12, 21-13.
At the No. 4 spot, Montgomery Sauter and Lauren Williams lost the first set in close 21-18 fashion to Victoria Prokic and Julie Nightwine. The Mustangs' group remained poised in the second set to close the match with a 21-15 decision.
Kelly Hughes and Aryana Fazlenia lost the first set at the No. 3 seed, 21-11. The C-N duo brought the heat in the second set to defeat Katie Leftridge and Emily Pellini, 21-16. Despite their efforts, the C-N side was not able to take the third set, falling 15-12 to give Stevenson a 3-0 lead.
The only win of the day for Carson-Newman came from the No. 2 pairing of Grace Seymour and Morgan Siwiec. The two won the first set 21-18, but Emily Castro and Caroline Dangel won the second set 21-12. The Eagles tandem came out on top with a 15-9 win in the third set, cutting the Mustangs' lead to 3-1.
The No. 1 seed of Summer Coulter and Abby Struewing went to another three-set tiebreaker. Darian Hileman and Piper Conners won the first set 21-12, but the C-N pair bounced back in the second set 21-16. The forced third set fell in favor of the Mustangs, 15-12.
Match 2: LMU 5, C-N 0
At the No. 5 spot, Abby Higgins and Brooke Taylor defeated Palmer and Nichols in back-to-back sets 21-13, 21-12.
The No. 4 group, Montgomery Sauter and Lauren Williams, lost a pair of identical 21-15 sets to Emily Walter and Caitlin Bethell.
Kelly Hughes and Aryana Fazlenia appeared at the No. 3 spot. Sarah Jones and Kai Wesemann throttled the C-N group in the first set 21-9, and carried their momentum into the second set for a 21-11 that put LMU up 3-0 heading into the final two flights.
At the No. 2 seed, Morgan Siwiec and Grace Seymour fell to Danielle Stachura and Danielle Ged. The Railsplitters' pair took down the C-N tandem 21-12 before adding on a steep 21-7 second set.
Coulter and Struewing closed out the weekend at the No. 1 flight with a pair of close losses to Lindsey Nartker and Rylee Storms 21-18, 21-16.
"This program is at Ground Zero but I am excited for its future as this group of athletes learns to raise their focus level and commitment," Franklin said.
The Eagles will travel to Austin Peay next weekend to face the hosting Govs, Georgia State, and Eastern Kentucky. That two-day tournament will start on April 12.
