JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – UVa-Wise volleyball opened South Atlantic Conference play Friday night on the road at Carson-Newman University where the Cavaliers fell in straight sets to the Eagles, 3-0 (25-22, 25-11, 26-24).

It was a back-and-forth first set for the two teams with a kill by UVa-Wise (1-2, 0-1 SAC) junior Brooke Abbott knotting the set at 11-11. A pair of attack errors by the Eagles forced a Carson-Newman timeout with the Cavs leading 14-13. Carson-Newman later regained the lead, 19-17, as the Cavs continued to fight, but UVa-Wise fell short, 25-22 in the opening set.

Carson-Newman (3-1, 1-0 SAC) came out hot in the second set, taking a 6-2 advantage early. The Eagles maintained the lead, aided by back-to-back runs for a 25-11 set two win as the team recorded a .364 attack percentage.

The third set was another close one as the Cavs took an early 6-4 advantage following a trio of kills courtesy of sophomore Kelsey Green and Abbott. The Eagles found themselves back on top with a 15-11 Carson-Newman lead heading into a Cavalier timeout. UVa-Wise rallied out of the break with a 5-0 run to get within two, 21-19, causing a Carson-Newman timeout. Redshirt senior Ciara Kain used a pair of kills to knot the set twice and keep the Cavs in the game, but the Eagles would finish with a 26-24 set three win to take the match, 3-0.

Kain led the Cavs with eight kills and added nine digs while sophomore Matelyn Gibson recorded seven kills with nine digs. Senior Morgan Milligan posted a match-high 24 digs while junior Makayla Ledford registered a match-high 23 assists.

Head Coach Kristen Salyer's squad will begin the home portion of their schedule Saturday with a match against Lincoln Memorial set for 2 p.m. inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center.