September 16, 2025

Undefeated Eagles travel to Lee for final non-conference battle of 2025

The Eagles (9-0) will take on Lee (4-1) in Cleveland for the final regular-season battle that won’t be a SAC team.

Carson-Newman

10-0

Lee

4-2

Final	1	2	3	4	5	T
Carson-Newman 10-0	17	14	25	25	16	3
Lee 4-2	25	25	22	19	14	2

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Eagles (9-0) will take on Lee (4-1) in Cleveland for the final regular-season battle that won't be a SAC team.

The Lady Flames are coming off their first loss of the season, falling in five sets to Thomas More. Despite the loss, Lee was exceptional on serve, collecting 19 service aces throughout the match. The Lady Flames are 31st in the nation in service aces per set.

Lee has had no trouble finding the hardwood this season and has a fairly deep lineup. The Lady Flames are 7th nationally in hitting percentage, with a .294 clip as a team. This will be a storyline to watch, considering Carson-Newman is holding opponents to a .092 hitting percentage and is 11th among NCAA competitors in that category.

As for the depth of the Lady Flames, eight of Lee's players are averaging a kill or more per set. Terry Jasmine and Payton Danley lead the way for Lee with 2.67 kills per set each. The Lady Flames block has been stout this year as well. Naomi Hockless (1.33 blocks per set) and Esthefany Rabit (1.12 blocks per set) have been the major contributors for Lee's defense, ranking 1st and 3rd in the conference, respectively.

The Eagles and Lady Flames played each other in a scrimmage in the preseason where Lee prevailed in the two-set match on August 29, 2025. This will be the first look that either team will have at each other in the regular season since 2017 when Lee beat the Eagles in four sets at Holt Fieldhouse.

The last time these two teams met was back in 2017 at Holt Fieldhouse where the Lady Flames would win the first two sets and close out the match in the fourth. This will be the 16th meeting all time for C-N and Lee. In the most recent history, the Eagles have struggled against the Lady Flames. Lee has won the last six matches between the two and eight of the last ten. The lady Flames hold the series 8-7. A win tonight for Carson-Newman could split the history at .500. This is a matchup that dates all the way back to October 1, 1988 where Lee would lose the inaugural competition.

The Eagles were outstanding in their weekend at USC Aiken, grabbing four crucial regional wins that will boost their ranking in both the region and the nation when the post season comes around.

Game one against Francis Marion was an Eagles classic. Last year, C-N and FMU went to five sets, and this year, the Eagles cut the match short, exploding on offense to grab a four set win. Emerson Ahsmuhs matched a career high in kills with 22, and Blair Cherry made incredible decisions on the setting front with 52 assists. Their 65 team kills was their best offensive performance of the year thus far.

Carson-Newman took care of USC Aiken and Mount Olive in three set sweeps. Neither team could overcome the 17 total blocks between the two games. The Eagles held both teams to under .150 hitting clip.

The final game of the was set to be the most challenging for the Eagles, and it showed in set one, where the Eagles would drop their first set one 22-25 to the Trailblazers. However, that seemed to light a fire in the C-N team, who didn't allow North Greenville past the 17 kill mark in the next three sets. Blair Cherry hit a monumental milestone in the match, racking up 2000 career assists. Carson-Newman's back row was crisp, putting up 82 team digs in the contest.

To elaborate, Blair Cherry has been a staple of the Eagles offense for three years now, and things aren't looking to change any time soon. The junior hit a significant milestone this past weekend. Her 46 assist performance against North Greenville was enough to put her 13 assists over 2000 in her career. She has certainly cemented herself in the Carson-Newman record books as 6th all-time in career assists and now becomes one of six Eagles who have dished that many helpers.

This season has been particularly productive for the C-N setter, who currently sits 2nd in the SAC standings in assists per set (9.83) and 32nd in DII.

Cherry has been complimented by the sophomore outside Emerson Ahsmuhs. It is safe to say that Mossy Creek is home to one of the best outside hitters in the nation. Emerson Ahsmuhs has ripped through every competitor the Eagles have faced this season. The sophomore has made leaps and bounds from her freshman season where she was a member of the SAC All-Freshman team and a 2nd team All-SAC honoree.

The seven double-digit kill games this season has led the Eagles all matches but two. Ahsmuhs is averaging 4.40 kills per set, slotting her 1st in the conference and 13th national in the category. The 13 blocks she chipped in also helps her garner 11th in the NCAA in points per set, with 4.97. To make things even sweeter, Ahsmuhs is one of the best defensive players in the Division II. Her 4.70 digs per set are 2nd in the conference and 55th in the nation.

Her performance this past week at the USC Aiken tournament was more than sufficient to earn her the SAC Offensive Player of the Week. This is her second time being honored by the conference in her career.

Lee had a positive end to their last season. The Lady Flames were 19-16 overall and 11-9 in the Gulf Shore Conference. Lee managed to make their way into the conference tournament and made quite the run. In the first round, they took down Montavello, who they had split with in the regular season. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Valdosta State, marking a full season sweep of the conference foe. Finally, they lost to the number one seed, University of West Florida. The Lady Flames run into the semifinals was the furthest Lee has ever made it in the conference tournament.

The Eagles open the season 9-0 for the first time since 2015 when C-N went 5-0 to start the season. If C-N goes on to win four more games, they would match the 2007 season when CNVB won 13 straight to open the year. After four straight sweeps at the Gleville State touranment, Carson-Newman created a new benchmark as the only Eagles volleyball team to sweep their first four oppenents of the year. The last time Eagles volleyball swept teams four games in a row was in the 2022 season, October 28-November 7.