Eagles Travel to Wise for Rematch with Cavaliers
October 28, 2024

Eagles Travel to Wise for Rematch with Cavaliers

Carson-Newman is back in action, taking on UVA-Wise for the second time this season from the Lovers’ State.

MATCH NOTES

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman is back in action, taking on UVA-Wise for the second time this season from the Lovers' State.

UVA-Wise (10-11, 4-8 SAC) enters a rematch with Carson-Newman (14-6, 10-2 SAC) after falling inside Holt Fieldhouse in straight sets in late September. Since that meeting, the Cavaliers have stayed around .500, going 4-5, with a win over Tusculum in five sets, highlighting the stretch, while Wise took losses to Wingate, Lenoir-Rhyne, Mars Hill, Anderson, and LMU.

Kaylee Scarce highlights the Cavs offensively with 194 kills for 2.90 per set, but Riley Brandon is putting up impressive numbers of her own with 187 kills for 2.56 per set. The top setter is Piper Suddeth who surpassed 1,000 career assists in the Cavs' recent loss to Wingate.

Of note, Brandon is a triple threat, having obtained three triple-doubles this season against Emory & Henry, Coker, and Limestone.

Defensively, Abigail Curtis is the top Wise libero, averaging 5.04 digs per set. At middle blocker, Cassidy Farley sits just two blocks away from 100 on the season, averaging 1.34 blocks per set.

Carson-Newman has never lost to UVA-Wise in 16 meetings dating back to 1975 when Wise was known as Clinch Valley. The Eagles have not dropped a set to the Cavaliers since 2021, when they did so in a four-set victory on the road.

Carson-Newman volleyball has already matched its win total from last season, 14, after an upset win in straight sets over the top-ranked team in the SAC, Lenoir-Rhyne.

Freshman outside Emerson Ahsmuhs (Placentia, Calif.) has impressed the past week, setting new career-highs in hitting percentage in back-to-back matches against Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne, hitting over .400 on the week with over four kills per set en route to being named the SAC's Offensive Player of the Week.

Bennett McCombs (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) has adjusted into a leadership role at the libero position. At the same time, freshman Maddie Hurst (Blaine, Tenn.) continues combining her outside and middle blocker skills.

The Eagles currently sit second in the conference, just behind Wingate. They hold the tiebreaker over Lenoir-Rhyne and are projected to play Tusculum in the first round of the SAC tournament if the season ends today.

First serve from the David J. Prior Convocation Center in Wise, Va., is at 7:00 p.m. You can watch the match with a subscription via FloSports. You can follow along for free by following @CN_Eagles on X for live coverage. To keep up to date with Carson-Newman volleyball, follow us on social media @CN_Eagles on X and on Instagram or Facebook at Carson-Newman Athletics.  

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