The Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball Team moved on to the SAC Tournament Semifinal with a convincing 3-0 win over Carson-Newman in the SAC Quarterfinal on Monday. The Bears swept the Eagles for the second time in less than a month to advance to the Semis and will take on top seed Wingate.

The Eagles used a 7-1 run in the first set to take a 15-12 lead. However, the Bears would battle back to even the contest at 18. LR scored four straight and eventually took a 25-23 win in the opener to take the momentum. LR would take set two 25-20 and clinched it with a 25-19 win in the third. LR hit .387 in the second frame and held the Eagles to a -.048 percentage in the third.

The Bears held an 8-4 edge in blocks and a 51-46 lead in digs. Aasia McNeill and Emmaleigh Allen each had 13 kills to lead the Bears offense as the duo accounted for 26 of the team’s 41 kills. McNeill added six digs and a block while Allen had five digs and three aces.

Sydney Karjala returned to the lineup and had a double-double with 17 assists and 14 digs. Lyndsie Warren had 13 digs for the Bears. Julia Wheeler, the SAC leader in kills, had a match-high 14. However, no other Eagle had more than five and LR held Wheeler to a .116 hitting percentage.

LR is in the semifinals for the second time in three years.

Carson-Newman drops to 3-11 on the road this season. LR is now 17-16 all-time against Carson-Newman at home. This was the first time since 1989 that LR swept Carson-Newman twice in the same season.

The Bears improve to 21-9 on the season. LR will move on to the Semifinal where they take on Wingate at 4:30 p.m. at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center.