Box Score

ELON, N.C. – The Elon Phoenix volleyball team snapped a brief three-match skid by sweeping the visiting Western Carolina Catamounts 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 27-25) to earn its first Southern Conference victory of the season.

"This is the first time in a while that we started out a match aggressively," said Elon head coach Mary Tendler.  "Western Carolina kept getting stronger and stronger as the match progressed and I was happy to get the win here at home.  We couldn't have won without Kris and A.J. coming in and having big roles off the bench."

The Phoenix (12-6, 1-2) took an early 2-0 lead before a Rebecca Stoltz kill got the Catamounts (6-12, 1-2) on the board in the first set.  With the score even at three, the Phoenix rattled off three consecutive points to build a 6-3 lead thanks to kills from junior Carly Ledbetter and freshman Danielle Smith. 

With Elon up 8-5, Abbey Scroggins’ serve found the line to pull WCU within two points before freshman Chanelle Smith slammed down a kill for the ninth Phoenix marker of the first set.  Two plays later, D. Smith hammered down another to give Elon a 10-7 advantage.

A kill by D. Smith stretched Elon’s edge to 15-11, forcing a Catamount timeout.  Elon earned the first point after the timeout as D. Smith picked up yet another kill.  After one quick WCU point, senior Traci Stewart gave the serve back to Elon with a kill.  The Phoenix kept the pressure up and pushed its lead to 20-13 before Western Carolina used its second timeout.

Jordan Timmerman ended the Phoenix run there as she recorded a kill out of the timeout.  Elon earned the next point to make it 21-14.  Kills by Ledbetter and junior Celia Rose Eddy were followed by a Catamount error to bring up set point for the Phoenix.  Elon took a 1-0 set lead on the next point when Ledbetter picked up kill number six on the night.

The second set began the same way as Elon took a 2-0 lead only to see Western Carolina knot it up at two-all.  The Phoenix scored six of the next eight points to open up an 8-4 edge before the Catamounts took yet another timeout.  Elon errors gave the next two points to WCU before a Caroline Lemke kill returned the serve to the Phoenix.

Trailing 9-8, Western Carolina would tie the game at nine on a Phoenix blocking error.  The two sides traded the next two points before the Catamounts took their first lead of the evening on a Stoltz block that made it 11-10.  After a quick Elon timeout, the Phoenix scored the next three points to go back in front, 13-11. 

The next two points went to the Catamounts before C. Smith dumped a kill into the back left corner to give Elon a 14-13 lead.  Abbey Scroggins and Carrie Minogue combined on a block to tie the match at 16-all before Timmerman put the Catamounts back in front with a kill.  The Phoenix immediately knotted it back up on a Lemke kill.

With Western up 18-17, Minogue and Timmerman blocked another Elon attack and the Catamounts took a 19-17 lead, forcing a Phoenix timeout.  A big block from Eddy pulled Elon even at 20, but the Catamounts scored the next two points to make it 22-20. 

Down 22-21, senior Megan McMahon’s ace once again tied it up for the Phoenix.  Ledbetter’s hard kill was followed by one from freshman Kris Harris and gave Elon the serve for the set at 24-22.  The Phoenix was unable to take it on the next point, but Elon won it on the following ball as C. Smith recorded the kill to end the set in favor of the Phoenix, 25-23.

Western Carolina came out of the break strong and, after dropping the first point, rattled off the next five scores forcing the Phoenix to call a timeout.  In the run, the Catamounts had a kill from Caitlin Piechota and two aces from Brittany Lysik. 

Harris snapped the streak with a kill for the Phoenix before Stewart capped a long rally with a kill of her own to pull Elon within two, 5-3. 

The Catamounts opened up an 11-7 advantage off a Timmerman kill before Elon reeled off the next three points on kills by C. Smith, Harris and Lemke. 

Trailing 17-15, Elon received a kill and a block from Lemke to even it at 17-all.  The squads traded the next eight points before the Phoenix took a 22-21 lead on a block by Lemke and Stewart. 

Match point was set up by another Lemke kill that gave the Phoenix a 24-23 advantage and forced Western Carolina to call its final timeout of the set.  The Catamounts extended the set when Timmerman picked up a kill.  Elon led 26-25 after a D. Smith slam and earned the winning point when senior Nickie Halbert and Harris blocked Piechota’s attack.

Ledbetter led all players with 11 kills and Elon combined for four total blocks in the contest. Western Carolina was led by Timmerman's seven kills.

The Elon volleyball team will return to action tomorrow, Oct. 1, with a 7 p.m. match against Appalachian State in Alumni Gym.