Trio shines but Bulldogs top Eagles
November 10, 2017

Trio shines but Bulldogs top Eagles

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Three Carson-Newman players racked up double-doubles but Wingate earned a four-set victory over the Eagles Friday night at Holt Fieldhouse 25-13, 25-22, 20-25 and 25-19 in South Atlantic Conference play.

VIDEO: Dave Franklin Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Three Carson-Newman players racked up double-doubles but Wingate earned a four-set victory over the Eagles Friday night at Holt Fieldhouse 25-13, 25-22, 20-25 and 25-19 in South Atlantic Conference play.

"It was a good war with a really good team," Carson-Newman coach Dave Franklin said. "We learned tonight that we improved from the service line but there is another level we have to get to get to that elite level. If there is such a thing as a good loss there it was. There's a lot of momentum out of that going into a huge match tomorrow."

It is the second time this year that Carson-Newman (14-13, 9-10) had three players with double-doubles. On senior night, Anna Patton (Franklin, Tenn.) notched her 42nd career double-double with 32 assists and 12 digs while adding three total blocks.

Franklin's outside hitters, Megan Oldenburger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Marnie Streeter (Goldvein, Va.), had 15 kills and 14 digs and 11 kills and 11 digs respectively.

Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) had seven kills on a .333 attack percentage and Morgan Ballard (Weaverville, N.C.) added 16 digs.

Wingate (23-2, 17-2) combined to accumulate a .214 attack percentage with 85 digs, nine blocks and four service aces. C-N countered with a .127 margin, 56 scoops, 10 rejections and four aces.

The Bulldogs raced out a 6-1 lead in the opening set. The Eagles chipped away to cut the deficit to 14-11 prompting a timeout from Wingate coach Shelton Collier. Out of the break, the Bulldogs reeled off eight straight to go ahead 22-11. Anna Holmquist sealed a 1-0 lead with a kill.

The second stanza featured 14 ties but the Eagles opened up a three-point lead at 21-18 forcing a timeout from Collier. Wingate won four of the next five to tie the score at 22. Overall the Bulldogs won seven of the last eight points to go on top 2-0 in the match.

Nine ties highlighted the first 24 rallies of the third set before C-N picked up a two-point edge at 14-12. Wingate fought back to take the lead but a 3-0 sequence put the Eagles ahead 19-17. Franklin's team went on a 9-3 run overall to close out the set and send the match to a fourth frame.

After C-N won the first point of the fourth, Wingate rattled off six straight points to take the lead. The Eagles scratched and clawed to pull within two twice at 18-16 and 20-18. The Bulldogs ripped off five of the final six to seal the victory.

Wingate's starting middle blockers, Holmquist and Phoebe Havenaar, combined for 27 kills and just two hitting miscues. Katie Bludau had 17 kills but hit .176, her fourth-lowest margin of the year.

Rachel Alles handed out 45 assists and had 17 digs while Kori Adams provided 22 scoops to lead her side.

The Eagles conclude their season Saturday evening at 5 p.m. against Queens (N.C.) with one final chance to get a win against a regionally-ranked foe. Broadcast coverage can be found on cneagles.com/live courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network.

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