ELON, N.C. – Elon University volleyball claimed the opening set, but Towson won the next three as the Phoenix (9-11, 4-3 CAA) fell in four sets Sunday afternoon, Oct. 13 in Schar Center.
 
"Lots of credit goes to Towson," said head coach Mary Tendler. "They have a very good team and they played great today. We were able to match their level of play early and win the first set. Unfortunately, we couldn't sustain it. I was proud of the team for how they came back and competed in the fourth set. However, we need to be much more consistent from start to finish."
 
Towson 3, Elon 1 | 25-23, 14-25, 11-25, 19-25
THE RUNDOWN
The teams were neck-and-neck in the opening set. After a 3-0 run gave the Tigers (15-2, 6-0) an 8-7 lead, Elon responded with a 3-0 run of its own. Later in the set, Towson took off with a 7-1 swing for a 19-15 advantage. However, the Phoenix answered as Natalie Cummins scored twice, Kodi Garcia served up an ace, and Kellyn Trowse swung for a kill. A Towson attack error knotted the score at 23-23 before Haylie Clark set up Jenn Krzeminski for consecutive scores and a 25-23 final.

Towson took over the match from there. In Set Two, the black and gold used runs of 4-0 and 6-0 to build a 15-5 advantage. Elon was unable to catch up, and the guests claimed the set point 25-14. The Tigers continued the offensive outpouring in the third set, jumping out to an 18-4 lead. A 25-11 result gave the guests a 2-1 overall lead.

Elon kept it close early in Set Four as a Madi Genaway kill put the maroon and gold on top, 8-7. However, Towson regained control with a 7-1 push. Another Genaway point helped the Phoenix close the gap at 17-15, but the Tigers took off again with four unanswered. Towson held on for a 25-19 tally to close out the match.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
For the Phoenix, the offense was paced by Leah Daniel's 11 kills. Trowse was close behind with nine kills, Garcia tallied 20 assists, and Clark added 14. On the other side of the net, Isabella Seman finished with 12 digs, Krzeminski made three blocks, and Daniel and Nori Thomas had two blocks each.

NOTES
-The opening set marked the second that Towson has lost in conference play.
-Elon drops to fifth in the CAA standings.
-The Phoenix only has one conference game on the schedule next weekend as William & Mary comes to Schar Center for a 1 p.m. match next Sunday, Oct. 20.
-Daniel has now posted double-digit kills in 15 consecutive matches.
-Today's match featured 18 ties and eight lead changes.
 
UP NEXT
Elon concludes its non-conference portion of the schedule this Wednesday, Oct. 16 as the team makes the short trip to Durham, N.C. for the second match in a home-and-home series with N.C. Central. First serve against the Lady Eagles is set for 6 p.m.