October 4, 2012

Eagles blow by Buffs 3-0

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. – Bolstered by a strong service game for the fourth straight contest, Carson-Newman (6-7, 2-4 SAC) reeled of its second straight win and its second sweep in a row with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-19 victory over Milligan (12-9, 7-1 Appalachia Athletic Conference) Thursday night at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. – Bolstered by a strong service game for the fourth straight contest, Carson-Newman (6-7, 2-4 SAC) reeled of its second straight win and its second sweep in a row with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-19 victory over Milligan (12-9, 7-1 Appalachia Athletic Conference) Thursday night at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.

Kristen Pickett (Cleveland, Tenn.) reset a season high with seven aces, while the Eagles aced the opposition more than 10 times for the fourth consecutive match. Against the Buffs, C-N finished with 12.

"Pickett's increasing her ability to get aces each match it seems," Carson-Newman head volleyball coach Shannon Mincey said. "She just seemed care free back at the line. She brought a lot of power and strength, even the serves that weren't aces put them out of system."

Rachel Harper (Chattanooga, Tenn.) paced the Eagle attack for the third straight match, finishing as the lone player on either team in double figure kills with 10. Ashley Ferris (Knoxville, Tenn.) followed with seven kills and a .385 attack percentage.

The Eagles hit .211 for the match. It was the fifth time in 2012 that the Eagles hit above .200 as a team and the third time in the past four matches. Carson-Newman is 5-0 when attacking above the .200 mark for a match.

"Our defense has been improving, so it's allowing our setter to not be on the run so much," Mincey said. "Even though our hitters are spotlighted more, our team is becoming more disciplined defensively."

Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) set the match high with 12 digs

Carson-Newman's offense has avoided the block for two straight matches. Against Lees-McRae Tuesday night, the Bobcats didn't block a single ball. Against the Buffs, Carson-Newman was only blocked once.

Meanwhile, the Eagles block has kicked into another gear. Carson-Newman followed up a nine block performance Tuesday with a five block performance Thursday. Emily Schultz (Atlanta, Ga.) led a balanced effort at the front of the net with three block assists.

"It was nice to see everyone on our squad on the court tonight. We have a lot of talented and gifted players, it was nice to see them in the match and see how they did. Kianna Sedlacek (Cardington, Ohio) got to play an entire set and she seemed to play with a smile on her face for the entire set. It was good morale for the whole team."

Even with the sweep, Mincey said there's room for improvement.

"Once again we took a big lead in the first set then lulled into a comfort zone," Mincey said. "We got comfortable, that's something that defeated us in other matches, being ahead and then letting teams back into games. We've done the same thing against L-R and Brevard. I'll put (my players) in practice situations and make them finish."

Carson-Newman readies itself for a pair of games Saturday. The Eagles take on Erskine at 1 p.m. and King at 3 p.m. Saturday in a tournament at King College.

-CN-