Elon Phoenix (13-6, 2-2 CAA) at Hofstra Pride & Northeastern Huskies

Date | Time	Friday, Oct. 6 | 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8 | 1 p.m.
Location	HOF | Mack Physical Education Center NE | Cabot Center
Series Record	HOF | Hofstra leads 6-0 NE | Northeastern leads 5-2
Last Meeting	HOF | Nov. 11, 2016 - Hofstra, 3-2 NE | Nov. 13, 2016 - Elon, 3-2
Live Stats	HOF | Click Here NE | Click Here
Watch Live	HOF | CAA.tv NE | CAA.tv
Match Notes	Click Here
Twitter	@ElonScores | @ElonVB

 

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ELON, N.C. – With 12 matches remaining in the regular season, Elon University volleyball hits the home stretch of its 2017 campaign this weekend with a road trip to Hofstra and Northeastern to battle the Pride in New York at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6, before taking on the Huskies in Boston on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m.

SCOUTING HOFSTRA
Standing 3-1 in the CAA and 11-7 overall, Hofstra is guided by sophomore Luisa Sydlik's CAA-best 11.58 assists per set. Laura Masciullo leads the Pride with 3.69 kills per set and Michela Rucli also averages 1.11 blocks per set. Overall, Hofstra leads the conference with 1.79 aces per set behind Ivania Ortiz's 0.56 per set. The Pride dropped its CAA opener to College of Charleston on Sept. 22, but has since defeated UNCW, Towson and Delaware while only dropping just two sets across the three matches.

SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
The Huskies have won six matches in a row going back to Sept. 16 when the run started with a five-set victory over Boston College. In its four CAA matches to date, Northeastern has topped UNCW, College of Charleston and Towson by 3-1 scorelines and swept Delaware. At 4-0 in CAA play, Northeastern leads the conference and is the only unbeaten team in conference play. Back-to-back CAA Offensive Player of the Week Amy Underdown leads the Huskies with 3.55 kills per set while Gabrielle Eyl leads not only Northeastern, but the CAA in digs per set with 5.75. 

LAST TIME OUT
Elon closed non-conference play with a dominating performance on the road against North Carolina Central. In the match, Elon posted a .362 hitting percentage, its highest in a single match this season. Sydney Busa led Elon with 20 kills and 11 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. Kodi Garcia also posted 41 assists in the three-set match, averaging 13.7 per set. In her last two matches, Garcia is averaging 14.4 assists per set after finishing with 60 in four sets against William & Mary on Sept. 28. 

SENIOR SUCCESS
Entering the weekend, Sydney Busa is posting CAA highs in kills (310), kills per set (4.43), points (342.5) and points per set (4.89) through 19 matches. The senior from Leesburg, Va., was named to three of the four possible All-Tournament teams this fall through non-conference play. Entering the year, Busa had never averaged more than 2.82 kills per set or 2.71 digs per set in a season. Thus far in 2017, she is more than 1.5 kills per set and nearly 1.0 digs per set higher than both of her previous career marks, which were set in 2016. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINES
Busa and Kam Terry are helping pace the CAA in double-doubles this season. Busa recorded her 12th double-double of the season against North Carolina Central while Terry stands at 11 on the year to place among the conference's best in the category. Before the season, Busa had posted 23 over the course of her first three years with the program while Terry has more than doubled her total after entering 2017 with seven. 

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Maddie Jaudon currently stands in seventh place for most digs in a career with 1,213. She passed Maria LaButto's seventh-place mark of 1,198 digs last week against William & Mary and is now taking aim at Cheryl Spivey's 1,264. Busa has posted 1,153 kills in her career in maroon and gold, putting her eighth all-time after passing Juliena Gigon's 1,143 last week. She stands just 14 kills behind Laura Griffin's seventh-place 1,167 kills. 

AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
On the national scene, Busa and Garcia rank among the country's best when it comes to kills, points and assists. To date, Busa is third in the nation for total points at 342.5 and is fourth for total kills with 310. Garcia's 757 total assists to date are eighth in the nation. She is 11 behind Lacee Adams of Chicago State for the most by a freshman this season. 

A PAIR OF MILESTONES
Jaudon surpassed the 1,000-career dig mark at the Liberty Invitational. She is averaging 4.14 digs per set having posted 1,213 to date in 293 sets played across 79 matches in maroon and gold. Busa eclipsed the 1,000-career kill mark during the third set of Elon's 3-1 win over NC Central on Saturday, Sept. 9, and is now setting her sights on becoming one of the few players in program history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. To date, Busa has posted 956 digs and is just 44 away from becoming the fourth player in program history to reach the elite club. She would join Debbie Hall, Fiona MacPherson and Katie Ruoff.

ROOKIE SUCCESSES
First-year setter Kodi Garcia and middle blocker Courtney Carpenter had made a big impact on Elon's 19 matches this season. Garcia stepped in as the team's starting setter on opening weekend and has made the most of her opportunity, posting 10.81 assists per set thus far to place third in the CAA by more than three assists per set. Carpenter thus far is third on the team with 115 kills, but has recorded 52 blocks on the season to lead the team in the category. In recent weeks, Carpenter has had eight-block performances against both Navy and Delaware. Both players have been named CAA Rookie of the Week this season with Garcia earning the honor twice on Aug. 28 and Oct. 2 and Carpenter on Sept. 25. 

PRESEASON HONOR AND POLL
Busa was named a Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention before the start of the 2017 season. It marks the second time in her career she's earned the honor. The recognition follows her 2016 Third Team All-CAA nod at season's end. Announced the same day as Busa's preseason honor, Elon was selected to finish eighth in the CAA this year. College of Charleston was picked to win the league with six first-place votes and Hofstra followed closely with three first-place votes.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Down the stretch this season, Elon will only play four of its final 12 matches inside the friendly confines of Alumni Gym. Two of those matches will come next weekend against College of Charleston and UNCW on Oct. 13 and 15. The final two matches in Alumni Gym will come Nov. 3 and 5 when Elon hosts Hofstra and Northeastern. 

HEAD COACH MARY TENDLER
Elon head coach Mary Tendler is in her 15th season at the helm of the program. After winning her 200th match as the team's leader last season, she holds a 229-245 record to date with the Phoenix since the start of the 2003 season. Last weekend, Tendler returned to University of Illinois, where she was a member of the school's inaugural Hall of Fame class on Saturday, Sept. 30. 

BIDDING FAREWELL
The 2017 season marks the 46th and final campaign for the volleyball program in Alumni Gym, with the team set to move its home matches to the Schar Center in 2018. The 5,400-seat convocation center is currently under construction and will host the volleyball program, as well as the men's and women's basketball programs, beginning with the 2018-19 academic year.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Phoenix will return home after its three-match road trip to host College of Charleston on Friday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. before welcoming in-state foe UNCW on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m.