ELON, N.C. – The Elon volleyball team posted a thrilling 3-2 (27-25, 25-23, 14-25, 20-25, 15-9) victory over High Point Wednesday night in Alumni Gym that ended the Panther’s winning streak at eight matches. The win improves Elon’s record to 11-5, and 2-0 in five set matches, this season, while High Point drops to 10-3.
High Point jumped out to a 9-5 lead after Elon scored three of the first five points of the first set. Elon pulled back within two at the 12-10 mark off a kill by Traci Stewart. A kill by Lauren Copenhagen tied the set at 16 and forced High Point to call its first timeout of the set. Elon grabbed a 20-18 lead before back-to-back Panther points tied the set at 20. The teams would tie four more times before consecutive Elon points by Stewart and Mandy Wilson sealed set one for the Phoenix, 27-25.
The teams tied seven times in the opening 14 possessions to being set two. With the score deadlocked at seven, Elon rallied for a four-point run that gave the Phoenix an 11-7 lead. An attack error by Copenhagen tied the set for the eighth time at 12. Elon regained a 17-13 after a kill by Kelley Blakewood sparked Elon to score five of the next six points. HPU battled back to tie the second set at 18. The teams tied four more times before a bad set by HPU’s Tara Lott gave Elon a 25-23 win in set two.
High Point scored the opening point of set three before Elon tied the set at four. The Panthers strung together an eight point run behind the serving of Kristina Taylor to gain a 13-5 lead. A HPU attack error ended the streak. Elon brought the set within six, but could not find an answer as the Panthers forced a fourth set with a 25-13 win.
Elon answered in set four by jumping out to an early 8-2 lead. The Panthers fought back to bring the set within two at the 14-12 mark. High Point took the lead for the first time in set four at the 18-17 off a kill by Stephanie Wallin. Elon scored just three more points as HPU took the set 24-20 to forced a fifth and final set.
The Phoenix dominated the final set of the match, scoring six of the first nine points. High Point cut the score in half at 8-4, but Elon answered with a Blakewood kill to maintain a 9-4 lead that caused the Panthers to use a timeout. Following the timeout, the Phoenix scored five of the next eight point to gain a 13-8 lead. High Point would score just once more, before a kill be Caroline Lemke sealed the set 15-9 and the match 3-2.
Stewart posted a double-double in the win with 16 kills to go along with her 13 digs. Also recording double-digit kills was Lemke with 10. Mandy Wilson earned nine kills in the offensive attack, while Copenhagen and Blakewood recorded eight and six kills, respectively. Serving as the team’s setter was freshman Megan McMahon who led the team in assists with 36, one shy of her career best.
The Phoenix defense that held High Point to a .190 attack percentage, posted 16 blocks. Lemke led the way with one solo and four block assists. Stewart recorded four assisted blocks. Adding to the total was Blakewood, Copenhagen, and McMahon with two each and Wilson with one. For Phoenix players earned double-digit kills with Blakewood and McMahon leading the way with 20 each. Lizzie West turned in 15, while Stewart added 13.
High Point had three players with double-digit kills in Lindsay Raus (18), Wallin (14), and Audie Gonzalez and Ashley Mellot with 13 each. The offensive effort was paced by Taylor who recorded a match-high 56 assists. The team also recorded eight service aces, led by Raus with three.
Lott led the defense with one solo block to go along with her two assisted blocks. Mellott added two assisted blocks in the effort. The team had five double-digit dig performances, led by Julie Hershkowitz with 27. Gonzalez with 14, Tara Dyer and Lauren Hatch with 13 each, and Taylor with 11 followed her total.
Elon will return to action Saturday, September 27 when they travel to Boone, N.C. to take on Appalachian State at 4 p.m. for the conference opener. Live stats and full results of that match will be available at www.elonphoenix.com.
- ELON -
