| Elon Phoenix (11-6, 1-2 CAA) vs. William & Mary Tribe (2-14, 0-3 CAA) |
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ELON, N.C. – Elon University volleyball is set to close a four-match homestand to start Colonial Athletic Association play on Thursday night, Sept. 28, when it welcomes William & Mary to Alumni Gym for a 7 p.m. match against the Tribe.
SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
Under second-year head coach Melissa Ferris, William & Mary is 2-14 on the season with its only victories coming against Georgia State and Savannah State. The Tribe has not won a match since its Sept. 2 win over Savannah State in the Colonial Classic and has lost each of its last 10 matches with three of those defeats coming against James Madison, Towson and Delaware. William & Mary is led by Sydney Biniak's 4.12 kills per set, which stands third in the CAA. Autumn Brenner is also averaging 6.46 assists per set. Elon has lost just once to William & Mary since joining the CAA. The lone defeat came in the first match between the two as conference rivals on Oct. 4, 2014, a 3-1 loss in Williamsburg, Va. Since, Elon has won five in a row and has swept each of the last three meetings.
LAST TIME OUT
Elon struggled to gain any momentum against defending CAA champion James Madison on Monday night, Sept. 25, falling in three sets to the Duke in Alumni Gym. JMU posted a .356 hitting percentage, which is more than 50 points better than the previous high for an opponent this season against the Phoenix. Elon tried to put together a comeback in the third set, but the Dukes pulled away late to win the set 25-20 to take the match.
SENIOR SUCCESS
Entering the week,
Sydney Busa was averaging CAA highs in kills (258), kills per set (4.30), points (287.5) and points per set (4.79) through 16 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 1.4 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 pacing the CAA in double-doubles this season. Busa leads the conference with 11 and just missed extending her lead Monday night after posting 10 kills and nine digs against JMU. Entering conference play,
Kam Terry was tied for second in double-doubles, but now stands alone with 10 on the year. 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 eighth place for most digs in a career with 1,188. She passed Katie Forman's 1,187 on Monday night and is now just 11 away from passing Maria LaButto's seventh-place mark of 1,198 digs. Busa has posted 1,111 kills in her career in maroon and gold, putting her ninth all-time after passing Britany Westphal's ninth-place 1,102 on Monday night. She stands just 32 kills behind Juliena Gigon's eighth-place 1,143 kills.
A PAIR OF MILESTONES
Jaudon surpassed the 1,000-career dig mark at the Liberty Invitational. She is averaging 4.15 digs per set having posted 1,188 to date in 286 sets played across 77 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 936 digs and is just 64 away from joining the elite club.
ROOKIE SUCCESS STORIES
First-year setter
Kodi Garcia and middle blocker
Courtney Carpenter had made a big impact on Elon's first 17 matches this season. Garcia stepped in as the team's starting setter on opening weekend and has made the most of her opportunity, posting 10.47 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 102 kills, but has recorded 49 blocks on the season. 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 on Aug. 28 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.
HOME SWEET ALUMNI GYM
After playing seven of the first eight matches of the season away from Alumni Gym, Elon has played eight of its last nine at home. That home run concludes Thursday night with the match against William & Mary. After Thursday's contest, the Phoenix will play just four more home matches throughout the 2017 regular season, contesting nine of its final 13 matches on the road.
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 227-245 record to date with the Phoenix since the start of the 2003 season.
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
After an off weekend, the Phoenix will start a four-match road swing with a Tuesday night match at North Carolina Central in Durham, N.C. First serve is set for 6 p.m. The match is the final non-conference match of the season for Elon, which is 10-4 against non-CAA foes this season.
--ELON--
