Box Score

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Elon volleyball team played three sets of strong volleyball to sweep North Carolina A&T (25-20, 25-14, 25-14) tonight, Oct. 18. The Phoenix improves to 15-9 overall with the victory over the Aggies.
 
“This was a good team effort tonight against a much improved N.C. A&T team,” said Elon volleyball coach Mary Tendler. “With the exception of the service line, we were able to play pretty error free volleyball. We had a lot of chemistry and communication on the court even though we used a different lineup each set. The Aggies were able to dig up a lot of balls and I thought their serve receive was very solid, especially at the end of the match. They’re a very well-coached team.”
 
Juniors Allison Johnson and Carly Ledbetter each finished with five kills, while senior Traci Stewart and freshmen Chanelle Smith, Danielle Smith and Kris Harris all recorded four kills each. Sophomore Maggie Reichard tallied a career-high two service aces.
 
On defense, junior Alli Nogi recorded a career-high four blocks, while sophomore Cali Estes finished with two.
 
Elon started off the match with a 4-0 run off kills from D. Smith, Stewart and an ace by Reichard. Ahead five points later in the set, 10-5, the Phoenix scored four straight to take a nine-point lead. The Aggies put together a 3-1 run to cut the deficit to six, 17-11, but a kill by C. Smith put the maroon and gold up 18-11, forcing N.C. A&T head coach Hal Clifton to call his second timeout of the set. Out of the timeout, the Phoenix scored off a block by senior Caroline Lemke and Estes to move the score to 19-11. From there the Aggies used a 4-1 run to cut the Elon lead to four, 20-16, and cause an Elon timeout. N.C. A&T pulled within three, 21-18, but the Phoenix scored four of the final six points to take the set win, 25-20.
 
With the score tied at two-all at the beginning of the second set, the Phoenix scored four unanswered, which included kills by junior Celia Rose Eddy and Harris, to go up 6-2. A three-point run off kills by Harris and Ledbetter and an ace by Harris gave Elon a nine-point advantage, 14-5. The Aggies followed with a three-point run of its own to cut the disadvantage to six, 14-8. The maroon and gold took the momentum from there with a 9-6 run. A kill and an ace by Nogi ended the set, 25-14, in favor of the Phoenix for a 2-0 match lead.
 
In the third set, a block by Johnson and Nogi put the Phoenix up early, 2-1. A kill and an ace by D. Smith helped move Elon up by three, 6-3. Up by four, 10-6, the maroon and gold scored three straight to make it 13-6 off a kill by Ledbetter and two blocks, one by D. Smith and Nogi and the other by Ledbetter and Nogi. The Phoenix built up a ten point lead, 21-11, off an 8-4 run that included kills by D. Smith, Johnson and Eddy. A kill by Nogi won the set, 25-14, and preserved the match sweep for the Phoenix.
 
The Elon volleyball team will play two road contests this weekend with a match at Wofford on Friday, Oct. 21, and at Furman on Saturday, Oct. 22.