JEFFERSON CITY, TN – After losing the opening set 20-25, the Carson-Newman volleyball team took down the Augusta Jaguars by winning three straight frames, 25-12, 25-22 and 25-18 in their first match of a Saturday double-header at Holt Fieldhouse.
The Jaguars (14-4), who traveled to Mossy Creek as per the South Atlantic Conference versus Peach Belt Crossover, came out like a house on fire in the fourth and final set, setting the tone with a 6-0 early advantage. C-N (11-5) would slowly claw their way back thanks to a multitude of Jaguar errors and a game-high 18 kills by senior Marnie Streeter (Goldvein, Va.).
After a service error by sophomore Taylor Rohr (Windsor, Colo) gave the Jags a 15-8 advantage, the Eagles scored seven straight points to tie the frame at 15 points apiece. Three consecutive kills by junior Erin Edwards (Midlothian, Va.) elevated the Eagles to an 18-16 lead, one they would not relinquish.
The Eagles offense was powered by a .301 hit percentage and 55 total kills. Carson-Newman's attack found its momentum in a dominant second set which saw Megan Oldenburger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) record four kills, a service ace, and an assist en route to a 13 point victory in the frame. The junior slashed set-winning kills in both the second and third stanzas for Carson-Newman.
Sharing the ball wasn't a problem for Carson-Newman either as they tallied 48 assists including 23 from Rohr and 15 from senior Elena Vasquez (Riverside, Calif.).
Augusta recorded 11 fewer helpers and were limited to a .158 hit percentage. The Jaguars offense was led by junior Kylie Martin who finished with a team-high nine kills. Junior Nicolette Ramos and freshman Nedu Evans also finished with seven kills apiece.
The Eagles defense hustled for 65 digs to just 55 for the Jaguars. Senior Morgan Ballard (Weaverville, N.C.), fresh off recording career-kill number 2,000 in C-N's last triumph against USC Aiken, led this contest with 20 digs. Oldenburger finished second on the team with 15 total digs.
Carson-Newman looks to record their second consecutive double-header sweep of Peach Belt Conference competition in a 5 p.m. match against Lander inside of Holt Fieldhouse. The Eagle Sports Network's coverage can be found on cneagles.com/live.
