Lions Drop SAC Opener to Carson-Newman

JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. – The Mars Hill women's volleyball team opened South Atlantic Conference play with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Carson-Newman by set scores of 25-22, 25-23, and 25-21. The Lions fall to 1-3 on the season while C-N is now 1-4.

Senior outside hitter Mary-Kate Griffin finished the evening with eight kills and 13 digs, while Rebecca Butler chipped in seven kills. Victoria Kaiser dug 17 balls and Sara Fahrenbrook dished out 24 dimes.

Each of the three sets were evenly played, but Carson-Newman used individual runs per set to pull out the sweep of the Lions. In set one the Eagles guided a 7-2 spurt to turn a 10-9 game into a comfortable 17-11 advantage. MHU closed the gap to 19-17, but that would be as close as it got with the Eagles capturing six of the next 11 points to go up 1-0 in the match.

Set two was a different approach for the Blue and Gold, building a 14-11 lead. However, a 9-1 run from the home team put the Lions behind 20-15. Mars Hill made things interesting, fighting off three consecutive set points to pull within 24-23, but a kill from Natalie Harris of Carson-Newman put the Eagles up 2-0.

After falling behind 6-1 to open set three, Mars Hill battled back to take an 8-7 lead early. A back-and-forth affair would ensue, including five ties in the pivotal third frame. Just as they had done previously, the Eagles used a run to gain separation. With the score knotted at 14 a 5-1 push gave C-N the edge they needed to eventually close out the set and the match.

The Lions will return to the court on Tuesday, September 13 as they travel to face conference rival Tusculum. That match is set to begin at 7 p.m.