Eagles fall to Lions in North Carolina
November 2, 2023

Eagles fall to Lions in North Carolina

After taking the first set with a six point lead, Carson-Newman (12-15, 9-6 SAC) dropped three straight sets to Mars Hill (13-8, 7-7 SAC) at the Chambers Gymnasium on Wednesday night, to mark their ninth road loss this season. 

JEFFERSON CITY, TENN- After taking the first set with a six point lead, Carson-Newman (12-15, 9-6 SAC) dropped three straight sets to Mars Hill (13-8, 7-7 SAC) at the Chambers Gymnasium on Wednesday night, to mark their ninth road loss this season. 

"Our errors got the best of us tonight." said head coach Ashley Tiernan,  "We out scored them in points but had too many unforced errors to come away with the victory. Our rhythm was in and out together and in the end it wasn't on our side."

As a unit, the Eagles collected 60 kills; the third most kills in a game this season, right after their match with Emory & Henry on Oct. 27 (67) and Wingate on Oct. 6 (63). 

Julia Wheeler held a match high 19 kills and swung .119. She was followed by Taylor Adams with 14, who had a .379 hitting efficiency. The Lions were led offensively by Jada Cannon and Nikkayla Stewart who had 13 apiece.

C-N also led the Lions in digs (79-72), service aces (7-6), and assists (54-46). Mars Hill held the advantage at the net, collecting nine total blocks over Carson-Newman's two on the night. 

Set 1 ( 25-29)

After falling 16-11 to begin the frame, Carson-Newman fought back and outscored the Lions 14-3 to close out set one. The Eagles asserted dominance in all categories, collecting 16 kills, swinging .289 as a crew, 21 digs, three service aces, and a block. 

Set 2 (16-25)

Mars Hill jumped out from the beginning to find themselves with a seven point lead at 18-11. The Eagles could not recover from the deficit again and concluded set two nine points behind. Carson-Newman still led in kills (14-13) and digs (19-18) but found themselves with eight hitting errors, opposed to Mars Hill with only one. 

Set 3 (23-25)

In the tightest set of the match, Carson-Newman and Mars Hill tied up a total of seven times. For the third set in a row, C-N led in kills (19-12) and digs (22-15). Mars Hill gathered their winning points from seven Eagle hitting errors, three service aces, and two blocks. 

Set 4 (21-25)

After the final tie at 7-7, the Lions mustered a seven point scoring run to place themselves ahead. Carson-Newman managed to close within four points at 23-19, but could not prevent the Lion's final push to the finish line. Mars Hill led the Eagles in the closing frame in kills (12-11), hitting percentage (.125- .049), and digs (20-17). 

Carson-Newman returns to Mossy Creek for a matchup against Coker on Friday night at 6 pm, where they will honor and celebrate the seniors of the program. 

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