WISE – UVA Wise fell in their home and South Atlantic Conference opener Tuesday evening as they lost a hard-fought match to Carson-Newman 3-1 on the Quillen Court in the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: Carson-Newman 3, UVA Wise 1
Records: UVA Wise (2-3, 0-1 SAC); Carson-Newman (5-0, 1-0 SAC)
Location: Wise, VA | The Quillen Court in the David J. Prior Convocation Center
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The opening period saw a tightly fought contest as UVA Wise exchanged early points with Carson-Newman, with
Serina Petersen and
Mia Poag leading the attack.
Morgan Blankenship delivered a notable service ace during a mid-period rally that brought UVA Wise level at 12-12. However, Carson-Newman pulled away in the latter stages, capitalizing on a string of attack errors to secure a 25-18 win in the first set.
- Carson-Newman slowly began to pull away in the middle of the second set after the lead see-sawed early on. Despite a late rally with a three-point streak, including two more kills by Blankenship, UVA Wise was unable to overcome Carson-Newman's six-point run and fell 25-17 in the second period.
- The third period opened with a strong start for UVA Wise as
Serina Petersen, assisted by
Piper Suddeth, delivered a kill to put the home team on the board first.
Piper Suddeth continued her standout play, contributing assists on multiple kills, including a critical stretch that saw
Mia Poag and
Riley Brandon each add points, pushing Wise's advantage to 15-9. Despite a mid-period rally by Carson-Newman, UVA Wise responded with resilience, as
Annabelle Dowell's late kill secured a 25-19 victory.
- The Eagles came out of the gates in the fourth set and rolled out to the early 9-3 lead. Carson-Newman then capitalized on a series of attack errors and service aces to extend their lead, ultimately securing the period with a 25-16 win.
GETTING WISE
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Piper Suddeth led the UVA Wise offensive efforts with 38 assists and thirteen digs.
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Abigail Curtis anchored the defense by collecting 25 digs.
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Serina Petersen contributed defensively with six total blocks, including three solo.
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Mia Poag delivered a strong performance with 16 kills and 17 digs for her third double-double of the season.
- For the Eagler, Emerson Ahsmuhs led the team with 18 kills and Trinity Hafey had 23 digs.
UP NEXT
The Cavs will host the third annual Cavalier Classic this Friday and Saturday. This year the field includes Barton, King, Concord, and Davis & Elkins. The classic begins at noon on Friday and the last game is on Saturday at 4 p.m. UVA Wise will face Concord at 2 p.m. and Davis & Elkins at 6 p.m. on Friday; and Barton at noon and King at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
