ELON, N.C. –
Jessica Barrow and Mandy Wilson finished with seven and four kills,
respectively, while fellow senior Emily Regan paced the Elon offense with a
match-high 23 assists as the Elon volleyball team defeated Wofford 3-0 (25-15,
25-19, 25-21) on Senior Day. The win moves Phoenix into sole possession of
second-place in the Southern Conference North Division with a 9-5 conference
record. The team improves to 22-6 on the season, while Wofford drops to 17-11
overall and 4-8 in the SoCon.
“It was good to play well and get a win on Senior Day,” head
coach Mary Tendler said. “The great thing about our team is that we have
different players step up in each match. We had success with a new lineup today
because we are such a balanced team.”
Caroline Lemke led the team with 11 kills, while Sarah
Schermerhorn went seven-for-10 with two errors for an attack percentage of
.500. Defensively, Wilson led the charge with four block assists. Lemke added
one solo and two assisted blocks in the win.
Wofford’s Shanna Hughes led the Terriers with eight kills
followed by Stacy Byrd with seven. Arden Anderson finished with three block
assists, while Joanna Suddath earned two.
Elon opened the first set with a 7-3 lead before a pair of
kills by Hughes allowed the Terriers to come to within one at 7-6. Lemke and
Wilson notched consecutive kills for the Phoenix to give Elon a 9-6 lead. Elon made
it a five-point advantage at 15-10 on a kill by Barrow. Elon scored the next
four points, including three on consecutive aces by Wilson, to extend its lead
to 23-13. Two errors by Wofford allowed Elon to win set one, 25-15.
The Phoenix used the serve of Regan to take a 7-1 lead in
the opening possessions of the second set. Wofford made it a three-point set at
7-3 before a Schermerhorn kill ended the Terrier run. A kill by Lemke sparked a
4-0 run that put the Phoenix up 12-5. Wofford cut the lead to five, but
back-to-back kills by Schermerhorn allowed the Phoenix an 18-10 lead. Two kills
and a block by Wofford forced Elon to use a timeout at the 23-18 mark. Out of
the huddle, Elon scored two of the final three points, including a set-winning
kill by Lemke, to take set two, 25-19.
Elon fell behind early in the third set, but a Wofford error
knotted the score at five. The teams kept the set close and tied seven times
before Elon took a two-point lead at 16-14 on two Wofford errors. A kill by
Wofford’s Catelyn Amende made it a one-point game at 17-16, but a kill by
Schermerhorn allowed the Phoenix a two-point lead. The Terriers cut the lead
back to one at 21-20 but the Phoenix outscored Wofford 4-1 and closed the set
and the match on a kill by Schermerhorn.
The Phoenix will step out of conference on Tuesday, Nov. 10
when it plays North Carolina A&T at 7 p.m., in Greensboro, N.C. The team
will close out the regular season next weekend as it travels to face SoCon
North Division foes Appalachian State and Western Carolina.
- ELON -