Elon University Athletics

ELON, N.C. – Elon University volleyball put up a fight in sets two and three, but opened its three-match home stand with a 3-0 loss to James Madison Thursday night, Oct. 10 inside Schar Center. 
 
"Even with the slow start tonight, we kept fighting to win the match and had good opportunities to win both the second and third sets," said head coach Mary Tendler. "I liked the balance in our offense, that will be very helpful as we move into our weekend matches."
 
The Phoenix drops to 8-10 overall and 3-2 in the CAA.
 
JMU 3, Elon 0 | 18-25, 25-27, 29-31
THE RUNDOWN
The Dukes (9-6, 3-2) took over in the first set with five unanswered points and a 9-5 advantage. Elon was able to get to within 18-14 as Kodi Garcia assisted Kellyn Trowse to cap off a 3-0 run, but a couple of errors and JMU score put the visitors up 23-16. The sides then traded points as the purple and gold earned a 25-18 decision.

In the next set, an early 6-0 push allowed JMU to pull ahead 7-2. The Phoenix chipped away at the lead with a 5-1 response and remained close for most of the game. Down the stretch, Garcia assisted Leah Daniel to knot the score at 23-23. The teams went back-and-forth until the Dukes finally collected the set point with a 27-25 tally.

Set Three looked a lot like the previous set. Down 9-6, the maroon and gold took off with a 5-0 push. Trowse scored a kill to start the run, and Daniel and Elizabeth Coil capped it off with kills of their own. JMU looked to put the match away with a 24-20 mark, but the Phoenix refused to give up. Nori Thomas sparked a 4-0 run for another tie. A JMU ball-handling error and a service ace by Garcia had Elon on top 26-25, but the Dukes kept the set going with consecutive points. A Trowse kill and a JMU attack error again gave Elon the lead at 29-28, but the guests won the next three plays to bring the match to a close.   
 
HIGHLIGHTS
Daniel finished with a 14-dig, 10-kill double-double. Thomas posted a .240 hitting percentage with a team-high 11 kills, and Trowse followed with a .333 clip and nine kills. Garcia and Haylie Clark added 17 and 16 assists, respectively. Isabella Seman also reached double-digit digs with 11, while Daniel and Coil both made three blocks.

NOTES
-Elon and JMU were the only CAA teams in action today. The two teams are now tied for third in the conference standings behind Towson and Delaware.
-Daniel's stretch of matches with double-digit kills is now up to 13.
-This was Daniel's first career double-double. Her 14 digs are also a new career high.
-Garcia now owns 2,495 career assists to move into sixth place on the program's career leaders list. She overtakes Ana Nicksic (2012-15), who finished her time at Elon with 2,492 assists.
-The match featured 20 ties and 10 lead changes. There were 11 ties and seven lead changes in the final set.
 
UP NEXT
Elon has a day off to prepare for another 7 p.m. conference match as Delaware comes to town on Saturday, Oct. 12. The team then plays again Sunday, Oct. 13 in a 2 p.m. meeting with Towson. The two matches mark Elon's Dig Pink Weekend in an effort to raise awareness to the battle against breast cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear pink on both days to show their support.