JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - After an emotional loss in the conference opener at Lincoln Memorial Friday night, the Tornados were unable to rebound in their second league match in as many nights at Carson-Newman.
Brevard (1-5, 0-2 SAC) fell in three sets to the Eagles (5-1, 2-0 SAC), who advanced to the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament. After claiming a 25-23 first-set victory that included 10 ties and four lead changes, Carson-Newman scored four consecutive points out of a timeout to slam the door on a comeback attempt in the second set and cruised to a large victory in the third to earn the sweep.
No player finished the night with double-digits in kills, with Brevard's Fatima Gharachorloo and Carson-Newman's Sara Fairley tying for the match lead at nine kills. The Eagles led the Tornados by eight total kills, but committed 10 fewer errors and hit .264 compared to the Tornados' .089 mark. Brevard managed 17 kills but committed 17 errors over the final two sets, while the Eagles closed the match with a red-hot .450 performance in a 25-12 third-set victory.
The momentum shifted to the Eagles for good at the end of the second set. Carson-Newman gained the lead with a Gabbi Pacatte kill in the early going and began to pull away midway through the set as a two-point lead stretched to five. Brevard used a kill and a solo block by Savannah Cox to shift momentum back to the Tornados, cutting the lead to a single point on two occasions.
Carson-Newman head coach Dan Ahiers called a timeout after the Tornados trimmed the lead to 21-20 on an Eagles' attack error. The Eagles responded with a Natalie Harris kill, then stretched the lead to three points on a Brevard attack error. Molly Locke ended the set with two kills to give the Eagles a 2-0 advantage in the match before the team built an early 6-1 lead and never looked back in the third set.
Cox had a solid night for the Tornados, hitting an errorless .294 with five kills. She also came up with three blocks, including two solo stuffs. Kindle Kirkham also contributed five kills, while Aleksandra Vrvilo had a match-high 15 digs.
The first set saw both teams struggle to gain separation. Carson-Newman enjoyed the largest lead of the set at three points at 16-13 before a 5-0 run by the Tornados made the score 18-16. But the Eagles responded with a 5-1 spurt of their own to force a Brevard timeout. The teams tied three times down the stretch before Carson-Newman scored the final two points to take the victory.
The Tornados return to action on Friday night in the first home conference match of the season. Brevard takes on Coker at 7:00 p.m. before a Saturday afternoon tilt with nationally-ranked Wingate.
To keep up with all the latest information about the Tornados, "Like" our Brevard College Tornado Athletics Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @BCTornados.
Featured image courtesy of Shawn Millsaps. Click here to view more images by Shawn.
