Newberry leaves volleyball in a daze with five set win
October 25, 2013

Newberry leaves volleyball in a daze with five set win

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – It appeared as though the Carson-Newman Eagles (9-12, 4-10) were en route to a victory against the Newberry Wolves (12-8, 7-7) as the home team held a two sets to one lead, but for the second time this season Newberry raced back into the match and shocked Carson-Newman 25-18, 21-25, 20-25, 25-22, 16-14.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – It appeared as though the Carson-Newman Eagles (9-12, 4-10) were en route to a victory against the Newberry Wolves (12-8, 7-7) as the home team held a two sets to one lead, but for the second time this season Newberry raced back into the match and shocked Carson-Newman 25-18, 21-25, 20-25, 25-22, 16-14.

Almost one month ago, Newberry overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Eagles. On Friday night, the Eagles held an 11-7 advantage in the fifth set only to see it vanish after the Wolves reeled off four unanswered.

"That was a tough loss our team suffered tonight," head coach Shannon Mincey said after the match. "It was a good match for our fans, but unfortunately we fell short."

Out of a Mincey timeout, the Eagles had a chance to capture the contest after junior outside hitter Rachel Harper (Chattanooga, Tenn.) pummeled a ball into the center of the court putting her side on top 14-13. It would be the final point Carson-Newman won as Newberry rushed the court after a Harper attack error ended the match and left the Eagles stunned.

It was an unfortunate theme for the Eagles. In the three sets Carson-Newman lost, the team committed 21 attack errors and was held to a .121 hitting percentage in the match.

"Some key hitting errors put us in the hot seat," Mincey said. "At that point, we really fought hard. I think my players gave as much effort and heart as they could."

The stat sheet was jam packed. The Eagles compiled 16 team blocks in the match. Three players notched a double-double in the affair. Harper finished with 11 kills and 15 digs marking her 11th double-double of the season. Junior setter Kristen Pickett (Cleveland, Tenn.) compiled 49 assists and 15 digs for her sixth double-double. With a team-high 14 kills and 12 digs, junior outside hitter Lauren Santarelli (Colorado Springs, Colo.) tallied her first double-double of the season.

Freshman libero Taylor Lowe (Franklin, Tenn.) set a new career-high with 30 digs while sophomore middle Kiayna O'Neal (Katy, Texas) added 12 kills.

In the opening stanza, Newberry used an 8-1 spurt to go on top 23-16 before closing out the Eagles. The second set saw 11 ties and seven lead changes, but Carson-Newman was able to win the final three rallies to even the match at one set apiece.

The story of the third set was the home team's block. Carson-Newman racked up eight team blocks led by four block assists by freshman middle JaLesa Beaver (Katy, Texas). The Eagles took their first lead at 7-6 on a kill by Harper at the beginning of a 16-3 run that included a 9-0 string. The Wolves answered with an 11-3 jaunt of their own to pull within a 22-20 tally before Santarelli put the set away with a kill.

Newberry trailed one time in the fourth set at 1-0, but Carson-Newman used a 4-0 run to even the score at 17 before the Wolves were able to maintain their composure to force a fifth set.

The Eagles are now 1-4 in five set matches this season and have dropped three straight outings. Anderson (S.C.) waits tomorrow afternoon.

"Last time we lost to Newberry in the fifth and had to get up and play Anderson," Mincey said of the first meeting with the Trojans. "I think your spirit is broken a little bit. It's going to be interesting for us to recoup that really quickly."

Saturday's game versus Anderson (S.C.) is slated for a 1 p.m. first serve with live video and stats available at cneagles.com/live. 

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