Box Score (Elon vs. Sacramento State)
Box Score (Elon vs. UT San Antonio)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – After dropping its opening match of the day to the Sacramento State University Hornets, 3-0 (22-25, 15-25, 20-25), the Elon University volleyball team rebounded for a split on the final day of the SSU Tournament, as the Phoenix claimed a 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 25-17, 21-25, 15-11) win over the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners late Saturday night at Colberg Court.
After falling in its first match to the Hornets, the Phoenix (6-2) came back to record the win in a five-set thriller versus the Roadrunners. With the set tied at nine, a back-and-forth battle ended in Elon's favor as the Phoenix used a 6-2 run late in the set to key the five-set victory.
"I was proud of the team for bouncing back from the 3-0 loss this afternoon,” said Elon head coach Mary Tendler. “We had some great plays at crucial times to pull out the win. It was nice to see them rise to the challenge and show their toughness.”
Senior Sarah Schermerhorn led all players with 16 kills in the victory over UTSA, while senior Lauren Copenhagen recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs for the Phoenix. Sophomore Carly Ledbetter, junior Caroline Lemke and freshman Cali Estes all reached double figures in kills for Elon as well, recording 13, 12 and 10, respectively. Lemke was named to the all-tournament team following the completion of the competition.
After dropping its opening set, 25-21, to UTSA in its second match of the day, the Phoenix battled to make it 1-1 after the second set, as a 5-0 run in the middle of the game gave Elon a 14-12 advantage and forced a Roadrunner timeout.
Late in the set, Elon found itself down a point as a 7-1 run by UTSA put the Phoenix behind, 20-19. But it was all Elon down the stretch, as the Phoenix used a 6-1 run to take the second set, 25-21, as three Roadrunner errors and an ace by Schermerhorn keyed the victory.
The Phoenix followed the win up with a 25-17 victory in the third set, but could not carry the momentum into the fourth set, as the Roadrunners came back to hand Elon another 25-21 setback to force a fifth and deciding set.
With the score tied at nine in the fifth set, the Phoenix used a 3-0 run to take a 12-9 advantage. Kills by Lemke and Schermerhorn as well as a UTSA attack error gave Elon the lead and forced the Roadrunners to regroup and use a timeout. Elon closed out the match following the timeout, as kills by Copenhagen and Ledbetter gave the Phoenix the victory.
The Phoenix nearly knocked off Sacramento State in the first set of its opening match, as a kill by Lemke knotted the game at 19-all. But the Hornets managed to rally down the stretch to secure the win, as back-to-back points proved to be too much to overcome for Elon.
An early 9-2 run by the Hornets made the difference in the second set, as Sacramento State claimed a 25-15 victory before topping Elon again in the third and final set, 25-20, to secure the sweep.
Lemke tallied a match-high 12 kills for Elon in the loss, hitting a team-best .474.
Elon will be back in action next weekend, Sept. 10-11, when it hosts the Elon Classic at Jordan Gymnasium. For additional information, including a complete schedule, click here.
Sacramento State Invitational All-Tournament Team
MVP - Janelle Currey (Sacramento State)
Breanne Menees (Sacramento State)
Kayla Beal (Sacramento State)
Caroline Lemke (Elon)
Monica McFarland (Cal State Northridge)
Natalie Allen (Cal State Northridge)
Elise Huskey (UT San Antonio)
--ELON--
