BOONE, N.C. – Elon earned a 29-27 win in the fourth set to force a decisive fifth set, but Appalachian State proved too much as the Mountaineers took the fifth set 15-9 to earn a 3-2 victory in Southern Conference volleyball action. Appalachian State improved to 14-16 on the season and 10-6 in conference play, while Elon dropped to 23-7 overall and 9-6 in the SoCon
"I was extremely proud of the effort from this team today," head coach Mary Tendler said. "This team was able to take set two and then come from behind to win set four and force a deciding set in a hostile environment. I could not be more proud of the way that they responded to playing in a hostile environment and playing in such a critical match."
Caroline Lemke led Elon with 14 kills while committing just five errors for a .321 hitting percentage.
Jessica Barrow posted 10 kills while
Sarah Schermerhorn added nine kills and
Lauren Copenhagen posted seven.
Ali Deatsch notched a team-best 22 digs while Copenhagen and
Mandy Wilson each added 13 digs and
Lizzie West tallied 10.
Emily Regan recorded 37 assists for the Phoenix along with two services aces. Schermerhorn led the Phoenix defense at the net, assisting on five blocks while Lemke assisted on three and recorded one solo block.
Maja Jechorek and Kelly Rhein each posted a match-high 17 kills to lead the Mountaineers while Maggie Seeds added 13 and Becca Norris posted 11. Cassie Engelgau recorded a match-best 32 digs while Jechorek finished with 12. Kasey Sauls tallied 52 assists along with nine digs and one service ace. Caroline Sedon led ASU with eight block assists while Sauls and Jechorek each recorded one solo block a piece.
The Mountaineers jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the fifth set before Elon knotted the game, 6-6, on a kill from Copenhagen. ASU scored eight of the next 10 points to push the lead to six at 14-8 on a kill from Sauls. Elon looked to cut into the lead, score its ninth point of the set on a kill from Barrow, but Appalachian State closed the match 15-9 on a Jechorek kill.
In the first set, the teams were tied at six before ASU scored the next three points to take a 9-6 edge on two kills from Jechorek and an Elon error. Leading 18-15, the Mountaineers scored four straight points to push the lead to seven at 22-15. Elon cut the lead back to four at 23-19 on a kill by Copenhagen, but Appalachian State scored the next two points to finish the set 25-19.
Elon took an early lead at 8-3 on a block by Lemke in the second set. ASU would cut the lead to three at 8-5 before Elon used a 9-3 run to go ahead by nine at 17-8. Elon pushed the lead to 12 at 22-10 before ASU scored four consecutive points that made it a 22-14 set. Elon scored three of the next four points to finish the set, 25-15, on a service ace by Regan. Elon held the Mountaineers to a -.023 hitting percentage in the set while the Phoenix committed just two errors.
Appalachian State started the third set behind the serve of Sauls, jumping to an early 6-1 lead. ASU held on to a four-point lead at 8-4 before Elon scored the next four points, including three kills from Lemke, to knot the game, 8-8. After ties at 10 and 11, the Mountaineers scored two points to go ahead 13-11. Still leading by two at 17-15, ASU scored three points, behind the serve of Maggie Seeds, to go ahead by five at 20-15. The Mountaineers would maintain that lead for the remainder of the set, taking at 25-19 win.
The fourth set contained 18 ties and eight lead changes. Out of an 11-11 tie, Appalachian State scored two points to go ahead 13-11. Elon outscored the Mountaineers 3-1 on the next four possessions to knot the game, 14-14, on a service ace by Deatsch. After being tied at 15, ASU took its biggest lead of the set at 18-15. Elon scored the next three points to knot the game at 18 on a block by Schermerhorn and Wilson. ASU took the lead out of the tie and held a 22-20 advantage before Elon again tied the game at 22. The teams tied the set five more times before the Phoenix scored the final two points on a block and a kill from Regan to earn the 29-27 win and force a fifth set.
Elon returns to action on Sunday, November 15 in a 3 p.m. match at Western Carolina to close out the regular season.
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