INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A tough loss a day ago gave the Elon volleyball team the momentum it needed to earn two impressive 3-1 victories, defeating Central Michigan (25-17, 28-30, 25-20, 25-19) and Austin Peay (25-23, 25-21, 27-29, 28-26) in the second day of the Butler Invitational in Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Phoenix is now 8-3 on the season, while CMU falls to 3-4 and APSU to 1-8

“It feels good to get two wins today against two very good teams,” said head Elon coach Mary Tendler. “I feel like the experience we got this weekend will be very beneficial, as we get closer to conference play. We had a lot of players step up today and Ali Deatsch continues to be one of our most consistent players. Her serve has been very effective and she covers so much of the court when we’re passing or playing defense.”

Freshman Chanelle Smith led the team with 37 kills on the day, followed by senior Caroline Lemke with 32. Senior Megan McMahon finished with 90 assists, while Deatsch led the defensive attack with 52 digs. Lemke also recorded seven total blocks on the day.

The Phoenix jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set off a three-point run that included kills from junior Allison Johnson and Lemke and an ace from Deatsch. With the score still in favor of the maroon and gold, 13-8, Elon used a 4-2 run with two kills by Lemke and one from junior Celia Rose Eddy and Johnson to take a seven-point lead, 17-10. Up by five, 21-16, the Phoenix used a block from Lemke and senior Traci Stewart to close out a 4-1 run and win the set, 25-17.

In the second set, a kill by Eddy and a block by Johnson tied the set at 11-all for the Phoenix. From there, the Chippewas scored four unanswered to go up 15-11. Elon then responded with a four-point run of its own, capped by two Deatsch aces, to tie the set again at 15-all. The set remained close with neither team taking more than a one-point advantage as points were traded back and forth. A block by Lemke and Johnson gave the Phoenix its first set-point opportunity at 25-24 as a total of five set-point chances were stopped between Elon and CMU. The Chippewas finally managed the two-point advantage at 30-28.

With the match tied at one-all, CMU jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the third before a block by Stewart completed a four-point run to put Elon up 4-3. Down by one, 6-5, the Phoenix put together another run of four with a kill from Lemke, an ace by Stewart and back-to-back block assists by Lemke and junior Carly Ledbetter to take a two-point advantage, 9-7. Another tight set ensued but Elon always had the upper hand and took advantage with the score tied at 19-all. A kill by sophomore Cali Estes put the Phoenix up 20-19 and started a 6-1 run that won the set for the maroon and gold, 25-20.

Early kills by Estes and Smith in the fourth and final set helped Elon go up 6-5, before the Chippewas tied it at seven-all. The Phoenix then scored three straight for a 10-7 lead. The set continued with the tone of the previous two sets, remaining close with an Elon advantage. With the set tied at 15-all, two kills each by Lemke and Smith helped the Phoenix score five unanswered for a 20-15 lead, forcing CMU to call a timeout. After the short break, three kills by Smith and a final one by Ledbetter helped Elon seal a 25-19 set win and the 3-1 match victory.

Smith led the Phoenix for the second straight match with 17 kills, while Lemke followed with 13. S McMahon set a new season-high with 42 assists. Deatsch earned five aces to match her career high set in 2009.

Deatsch led the defensive attack for Elon with 21 digs, followed by McMahon who recorded 10. Lemke tallied four blocks to help the Phoenix out block the Chippewas 8-6.

In the first set against Austin Peay, a block by Estes and Lemke helped put the Phoenix up by four, 7-3, before the Lady Governors came back to tie it at eight-all. After APSU took a 21-17 lead, the maroon and gold went on a 5-1 run to make it even at 22-all. An ace by Stewart put the Phoenix up 23-22 and gave it the necessary surge to win the set, 25-23.

The Lady Governors had all the momentum at the beginning of the second set jumping out to a 7-1 lead. The Phoenix worked to whittle down the defeicit as a kill by Smith cut the Austin Peay advantage to four to make it 16-11. Down five, 20-15, three aces and one kill by Ledbetter and two kills by Smith helped Elon score six unanswered to take a 21-20 lead. From there, the maroon and gold scored four of the last five to take a 25-21 win and a 2-0 match lead.

With the set tied at six-all, kills from Smith and freshman Kris Harris started a seven-point run that put Elon up 14-6. A few plays later, a block by Estes and Harris increased the Phoenix lead to seven, making it 16-9. After a Smith kill made it 21-16 in favor of Elon, Austin Peay scored seven unanswered to take a 23-21 lead, forcing Tendler to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, three straight by the Phoenix, capped by a kill by Harris put the maroon and gold back up and at match point 24-23. The Lady Governors stopped the Phoenix on match point four times before taking a 27-28 lead and winning 29-27 to send the match into a fourth set.

The Phoenix jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead in the fourth set with kills by Lemke and Johnson. Austin Peay would cut the Elon lead to two, 10-8, before a kill by Smith, block by Lemke and Estes and an ace by Deatsch put the Phoenix back up by five 13-8. With the score only at a two point Elon advantage, 20-18, back-to-back kills from Lemke and Harris increased the maroon and gold lead to four. Just like the previous set, the Lady Governors refused to give up and scored six straight to take a 24-23 lead. Elon would regain the lead and go on to a 28-26 set win for its second victory of the day.

Smith and Lemke’s dominance at the net earned them 20 and 19 kills, respectively. Lemke’s 19 kills set a new season-high for the Carmel, Ind., native. After setting a new season-high earlier in the day, McMahon posted 48 assists to set another season best.

On defense, Deatsch also set a season-high with 31 digs, while Estes posted a career-high six blocks.

Elon will return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 13, with a match at High Point at 7 p.m.