HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Lady Railsplitters (16-11, 12-7 SAC) begin the final week of the regular season Tuesday with a trip to nearby Jefferson City, Tenn. for a South Atlantic Conference clash with Carson-Newman (22-5, 17-2 SAC). The 46th all-time meeting between Lincoln Memorial and the Eagles is scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve at Holt Fieldhouse.
 
In the 45 previous bouts between LMU and C-N since the 1991 season, the Lady Railsplitters have compiled a 29-16 advantage, but the Eagles captured their first straight-set win in the series since 2009 on October 7, winning by set scores of 25-20, 25-15 and 25-23 in Mary Mars Gym. That was one of only three matches this season in which the Lady Railsplitters have failed to attack at a better than .100 clip, as LMU hit .080 with 28 kills and 18 miscues. That offset what was an otherwise strong defensive showing as Carson-Newman hit .169 with 20 errors.
 
The Eagles have all but erased the memory of last season's ninth-place SAC finish as they are assured at worst a third-place showing in head coach Dan Ahiers' first year with the program. Carson-Newman sits only one game back of Wingate in the league standings after snapping the seventh-ranked Bulldogs' 55-match SAC winning streak with a five-set triumph in Wingate, N.C. on Saturday.
 
Carson-Newman has made that substantial leap on the wings of one of the most productive offensive attacks in the league. The Eagles are among the top three in the SAC in total kills (1,296), kills per set (13.09) and hitting percentage (.227) while boasting a sturdy defensive unit that has limited opponents to 10.69 kills per set on a .152 attack percentage.
 
Two of the SAC's top five attacking threats reside in the Carson-Newman rotation as Rachel Harper ranks second in the league with 3.60 kills per set, while Jenna Wilson is fifth with 3.10. Wilson sits in second in the SAC with a cumulative .396 attack percentage, while Harper has accounted for 3.36 digs per set. Lauren Santarelli, Kiayna O'Neal and Kyrie Pennington have bolstered the back end of the attack with 2.05, 1.86 and 1.36 kills per set, respectively. Senior setter Kristen Pickett is logging 10.15 assists per set and 2.56 digs per set, while Taylor Lowe leads the Eagles with 4.22 digs per frame.
 
The Lady Railsplitters are 12-8 all-time against Carson-Newman in Jefferson City, but three of the last four have needed five sets to decide. Lincoln Memorial topped the Eagles 3-2 in last season's clash in Holt Fieldhouse.
 
Since that disappointing .080 effort in the first meeting with the Eagles, the Lady Railsplitters have shown a much improved offensive attack, hitting .200 or better in eight of their last 10 matches. Most recently, Lincoln Memorial attacked at a .270 rate in a straight-set win over Coker last Saturday, collecting 44 kills with only 14 errors on 111 attempts.
 
Freshman Kiera Holland (Columbia, S.C.) leads the Lady Railsplitters with 312 total kills (third in SAC) and 3.00 kills per set, while sophomore Brooke Fleeman (Nashville, Tenn.) has accounted for 240 kills and 2.42 per set. Senior Allison Beavers (Tomball, Texas) has posted nine or more kills in four of her last six matches. Beavers hit .750 while accounting for nine kills in Saturday's win at Coker. Sophomore setter Abby Cash (New Carlisle, Ohio) is riding a streak of four consecutive matches with a double-double as she is accounting for 8.88 assists and 2.67 digs per set. Junior libero Casey Mense (Littleton, Colo.) paces the Lady Railsplitters with 4.59 digs per set.
 
First serve between Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Jefferson City, Tenn. Live stats as well as a live video broadcast will be available for that contest.

Live Stats
Video