Box Score

ELON, N.C. – In a must win situation, the Elon volleyball team came out strong against The Citadel to claim a 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-29) win today, Nov. 13, for a berth in the Southern Conference Volleyball Tournament. The victory closes out the regular season for the Phoenix with a 19-13 overall record (7-9 SoCon), while the Bulldogs finish the year 8-22 (1-15 SoCon).

"It was a very emotional day for us," said Elon head coach Mary Tendler. "These four seniors have meant so much to our program. They are a very special and unique group. We will not only miss them, but we will also miss their supportive families. I'm glad we were able to get the win and move on the conference tournament." 
 
Freshman Chanelle Smith led Elon with 10 kills, while seniors Caroline Lemke and Traci Stewart each recorded nine. Senior Megan McMahon set the offense with 36 assists, while C. Smith and junior Ali Deatsch contributed with three and two service aces, respectively.
 
Deatsch’s two aces tied her for Elon’s Division I single season record with 51 aces this year.
 
In the first set, The Citadel jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, before an ace by McMahon, two kills by Stewart and one by junior Celia Rose Eddy helped the Phoenix score six unanswered for an 8-5 advantage. The Bulldogs would come back to tie the set at 14-all and then reclaim the lead by two, 16-14. A kill by C. Smith would tie the set for the seventh time, 19-all, and start a four-point run for Elon that also included two aces by C. Smith and a kill by Stewart to put the Phoenix up 23-19. The Citadel pulled back within two, 23-21, but a kill by freshman Danielle Smith and Stewart gave Elon the first-set win, 25-21.
 
The second set remained close early with the score tied four times before reaching 11-all. A kill by C. Smith put the Phoenix up 12-11 and spurred a quick three-point run that also included another kill by C. Smith, one by Eddy and an ace by Lemke. Up by two, 15-13, two more kills by C. Smith, one by junior Carly Ledbetter and a block by Eddy and Stewart helped Elon score five straight to move ahead by seven, 20-13. Two aces by Deatsch and a kill by Lemke ended the set in favor of the Phoenix, 25-14.
 
Off the serve of Deatsch, the maroon and gold jumped out to a 6-1 lead to start the third set. The Bulldogs closed the gap to three, 9-6, before 5-3 run, which included kills by Ledbetter, Lemke and Stewart, put the Phoenix up by five, 14-9. A three-point run helped move Elon to an eight-point advantage, 20-12. The Phoenix maintained its lead from there and would later close out the set with a kill by C. Smith for a 25-19 win and match sweep.
 
The victory earned Elon the SoCon North Division’s fourth seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Phoenix will play the No. 1 south seed, College of Charleston, in the first round of the SoCon Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 12:30 p.m. in Birmingham, Ala.