Hurst selected to the SAC Preseason All-Conference team, Ahsmuhs and Cherry tabbed players to watch
The South Atlantic Conference recognized sophomore middle Maddie Hurst on the preseason all-conference team and has named both Emerson Ahsmuhs and Blair Cherry players to watch in the upcoming 2025-2026 season.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The South Atlantic Conference recognized sophomore middle Maddie Hurst on the preseason all-conference team and has named both Emerson Ahsmuhs and Blair Cherry players to watch in the upcoming 2025-2026 season.
Just a sophomore, Hurst will head up the middles for the Eagles this season. Last year, her 292 kills was second among Eagles players by one and she landed sixth among all other SAC players. A consistent presence at the net, Hurst logged 16 games with double-digit kills highlighted by a career high 19 kills in her third game in an Eagles uniform against Union (Tenn.). She also led the team and was top ten in the SAC in hitting percentage (.270). Her team leading 102 total blocks landed tied for third among all SAC players.
She earned multiple accolades last season for her efforts including SAC freshman of the year, AVCA Southeast Region freshman of the year, plus a first team all-SAC nod.
Ahsmuhs will also be returning for her second season in an Eagles uniform. Ahsmuhs found her swing early last season, setting a career-high 22 kills in the September 13 match against Francis Marion. In her freshman campaign, she was also named the SAC Offensive Player of the Week for the week of October 28 after setting new career highs in hitting percentage in back-to-back matches against Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne. She led Carson-Newman in kills with 293 and was among the top ten in the SAC in kills per set with 2.87. She was also third among Eagles players in with 51 blocks.
She was recognized on the SAC All-Freshman team and the All-SAC Second team.
As for Cherry, the junior setter will return to the court for her third season after a logging 1,013 assists in her second year with the Eagles. That is the first time a Carson-Newman setter has reached the mark since 2021. She also averaged 9.83 assists/set, a mark good enough to land her 9th all-time in Eagles history in assists/set in a single season. Cherry was 2nd among all SAC setters in assists/set. At the end of the 2024 season, her 1736 career assists land her 8th all-time in the Carson-Newman record books.
On top of that, she was also an offensive weapon, collecting 111 kills and notching 37 service aces which led the team. She was recognized on the All-SAC Second team last season.
The Eagles return to the court for the first time in 2025 on September 5th when they travel to the Glenville State tournament.
