Box Score (Elon vs. UNC Wilmington)

Box Score (Elon vs. NC State)

WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Elon University volleyball team dropped a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon on the final day of the UNC Wilmington Hilton Garden Inn Beach Bash, as the Phoenix fell 3-2 to UNCW (25-22, 26-24, 11-25, 15-25, 11-15) and 3-0 to NC State (24-26, 16-25, 27-29).

"We learned a valuable lesson offensively this weekend,” said Elon head coach Mary Tendler. “We started to show moments of great execution, but we struggled sustaining it consistently.

Elon drops to 7-8 on the year with the losses, while UNCW improves to 4-8 and NC State moves to 10-2 with the wins.

Sophomore Ali Deatsch earned all-tournament honors after a solid weekend. Deatsch finished the three-game tournament with a team-best 47 digs, tallying just under four digs per-set.

“Deatsch's serve receive and defense was very impressive this weekend,” Tendler said. “She is looking very confident and everyone else is following her lead."

After winning the first set, 25-22, to take a 1-0 lead over the Seahawks in its first match, the Phoenix erased a four-point deficit to knot the game at 24-all after a kill from junior Traci Stewart. Stewart would strike again on the next play to give Elon a 25-24 advantage. The Phoenix would go on to win the set on the next play after an error by the Seahawks helped Elon take a 2-0 lead in the match.

But Elon’s 2-0 advantage would be short-lived, as UNCW would come back to win the third and fourth set to tie the match.

With the Phoenix trailing by two points, 10-8, in the fifth set, the Seahawks would go on a 4-0 run to take a 14-8 lead. Elon rallied to pull within three points, 14-11, but the Seahawks managed to record the match-point on a Samantha Seifert kill to top the Phoenix, 3-2.

Junior Caroline Lemke finished with a team-best 12 kills against the Seahawks, while Stewart registered 10 kills.

The Phoenix again battled close in its final match of the day against NC State, taking the Wolfpack to a 23-all tie late in the opening set. But after an attack error gave Elon a one-point edge, 24-23, the Wolfpack capitalized on a Phoenix error and a pair of kills to top Elon, 26-24. Senior Lauren Copenhagen led the Phoenix in the first set, tallying a team-best four kills and finishing the match with nine.

Despite leading by four points, 9-5, in the second set, Elon found itself climbing an uphill battle against NC State late, as the Wolfpack went on a 16-4 run to claim a 21-13 advantage and force a Phoenix timeout.  A late kill from sophomore Carly Ledbetter gave Elon momentum, but the Wolfpack would go on to win, 25-16, and take a 2-0 lead.

Following intermission, Elon came out and traded point-for-point with NC State, eventually going ahead, 20-19, after a 3-0 run late in the third set to force a Wolfpack timeout. But despite a hard-fought battle by the Phoenix, the Wolfpack rallied to win the set, 29-27, and win the match.

Senior Sarah Schermerhorn paced the Elon offense, tallying a team-best 10 kills and four blocks.

Deatsch led all players with a match-high 16 digs, while junior setter Megan McMahon registered 30 assists for the Phoenix.

"It will be nice to have five days of practice prior to our first Southern Conference home weekend,” Tendler added. "I look forward to a great atmosphere in Jordan Gym.”

Elon begins Southern Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 25, when it hosts Samford at 7 p.m. inside Jordan Gym.

--ELON--