The South Atlantic Conference Claims Fourth-Straight NCAA Division II Regional Volleyball Title; Carson-Newman Punches Ticket to Elite 8

AIKEN, S.C. – Fourth-seeded Carson-Newman clinched a trip to the National Quarterfinals for the first time in program history with a four-set victory over seventh-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne 24-26, 25-18, 25-22 and 25-16 Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.

Carson-Newman (29-7) joins Wingate as the only South Atlantic Conference schools to reach the National Quarterfinals as the Bulldogs had made three straight trips prior to this season and four overall.

"I don't think we could have planned the season any better," Carson-Newman coach Dan Ahiers said. "This has been the best ride. I'm glad we get to play another week. I'm absolutely thrilled to be coaching this team. The love that these girls have for each other is absolutely amazing. You can see it day-in and day-out. Each time we come to practice, riding on the bus and eating a team meal, it's fun to be around this group of girls."

Carson-Newman set a program record for digs in a match tallying 138 on the night which is just outside of the top-10 in league history.

Overall the Eagles finished with 62 kills on a hitting percentage of .192 with seven blocks and six service aces.

Three Eagles finished in double figures in kills led by senior outside hitter Molly Locke's (College Grove, Tenn.) 20 kills coupled with 27 digs, good for her third match of the year with at least 20 kills and 20 digs.

Junior middle blocker Maddie Borch (Walnut Creek, Calif.) tallied her first career double-double finishing the match with 14 kills and a career-high 14 digs.

Senior outside hitter Sara Fairley (Charlotte, N.C.) also put up kill and dig numbers of 14 and 14 respectively.

Junior libero Taylor Lowe (Franklin, Tenn.) reset her career-high which she set on Saturday with 39 digs.

"It hasn't just been the past couple games," Lowe said. "This week of practice honestly our best week. Everyone's playing has stepped up to a completely new level this week. I think we had to remember that throughout the season defense was what was winning us games."

Sophomore setter Anna Patton (Franklin, Tenn.) handed out 47 assists while compiling 11 digs on the night.

Borch, Locke and Patton were named the All-Region team for their efforts over the weekend.
Carson-Newman was held to a .103 attack percentage as Lenoir-Rhyne (25-8) racked up four blocks in the first set. The Eagles led throughout the first set including by eight points at 20-12 after a timeout from the Bears. Lenoir-Rhyne won nine of the next 11 to close the gap to 22-21.

The Eagles held a set point at 24-22 as the Bears won four straight points to close out the set.
The second stanza began in favor of the Bears in the form of a 6-3 lead. Carson-Newman battled back to take a 12-11 advantage on a kill by Locke. With the score tied at 14, the Eagles won seven of nine rallies to take a 21-16 edge. Carson-Newman won the final three points of the set capped by a smash from Fairley to even the match.

The fourth-seeded team in the Southeast won six of the first seven points of the third set. The Bears once again clawed back into the set to pull within a point at 18-17 before a string of three straight points made it 21-17. The Eagles held a 24-19 lead when the Bears won three straight before a kill from Borch closed out a stanza that saw zero ties or lead changes.

Lenoir-Rhyne started the fourth set with an 8-3 advantage to force a Carson-Newman timeout. The Eagles went on a 12-2 run to capture a 15-10 lead. They would not trail again closing out the match as Sara Fairley dropped the hammer down the line to begin the celebration for the Eagles.

The Bears racked up 51 kills while hitting .131 with 122 digs, nine blocks and three service aces.
Brooke Redmond led the way for the Bears with 20 kills and 17 digs as one of three players with double-doubles. Briana Gottberg's 22 assists and 15 digs and Jessica Funk's 18 assists and 17 digs helped pace the offense.

Carson-Newman will play Thursday in Tampa, Fla. against No. 7 seed Wayne State (Nebraska), winners of the Central Region after sweeping seven-time national-champion Concordia-St. Paul in the region final.

NCAA Southeast Region All-Tournament TeamTaryn Angermeier, Hallie Dotson (Lander)Shelly Stumpff (Wingate)Kristen Dodge, Payton Duncan, Kelly Sullivan (Erskine)Brooke Redmond, Emily Steele, Brandi Thomas (Lenoir-Rhyne)Maddie Borch, Molly Locke, Anna Patton (Carson-Newman)