ELON, N.C. – After dropping a close first set, Elon University volleyball claimed the next three to secure a 3-1 conference victory over William & Mary Sunday afternoon, Oct. 20 at Schar Center.
 
After the match, head coach Mary Tendler commented, "It was important for us to close out the first half of CAA play with a win prior to going on the road. We were able to keep the pressure on William & Mary with our aggressive serving today, which put them in some predictable situations and helped us defensively. We like the improvements we see from our team, and look forward to our upcoming road trip."

The Phoenix is now at .500 on the season with a 11-11 record overall and improves to 5-3 in league play. With the loss, the Tribe falls to 6-13 overall with a 2-6 mark in the CAA.
 
Elon 3, WILLIAM & MARY 1 | 23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-14
THE RUNDOWN
Down 14-12 in the opening set, a Kellyn Trowse kill and Leah Daniel service ace highlighted a 4-0 run that put Elon out front. The pair added two more kills to make it a 20-18 advantage for the Phoenix, but W&M strung together five-straight points. Elon closed the gap at 23-22 and again at 24-23, but the Tribe won the set point for the 1-0 overall lead.

Set Two was close until Haylie Clark assisted Trowse to ignite a 4-0 run that made it 19-14 in favor of the maroon and gold. W&M stayed in striking distance, but was never able to catch the Phoenix. Ahead 22-21 late in the set, Clark set up Nori Thomas and Trowse for back-to-back kills. A Tribe attack error then leveled the match at a set apiece.

Elon had an early 5-0 push in the third set, capped off by another ace from Daniel, but the visitors answered with a 5-0 run of their own. Even at 10-10, a pair of 3-0 spurts helped the Phoenix create some separation at 18-13. The Tribe cut the difference to within a point at 22-21, but kills by Trowse and Daniel and a W&M attack error gave the set to the Phoenix, 25-22.

The Tribe held a narrow 7-6 edge in Set Four before a Natalie Cummins point began a 4-0 stretch for Elon. W&M hung around for some time, but faltered midway through the set. With a 17-14 lead, Elon won the next eight points to close out the set and claim the match with a 25-14 decision.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
Daniel posted a .255 clip with a match-high 19 kills and Trowse added an 18-kill, 12-dig double-double to pace Elon's offense. Kodi Garcia chipped in 28 assists, Clark recorded a 25-assist, 23-dig double-double, and Daniel and Clark each served two aces. Jordan Gower reached double-digit digs with a match-high 16, and Cummins was close to her season-high with seven blocks.

NOTES
-Elon improves to 9-5 in the all-time series and has won three straight against the Tribe.
-The Phoenix is now tied for third in the league standings with Hofstra. Towson defeated Charleston in straight sets to remain atop the table at 8-0. James Madison follows with a 6-2 mark after defeating the Pride 3-0 on Sunday. 
-Garcia is now six assists shy of 2,600 for her career.
-Isabella Seman is also approaching a career milestone. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native finished the afternoon with five digs and is 13 away from reaching 500 in her time as a Phoenix.
-Trowse eclipsed 300 career digs in the victory.
-Today marked Trowse's eighth double-double of the season. It was Clark's sixth of the season.
-Elon led W&M in kills (59-45), total attacks (148-135), hitting percentage (.223 - .156), assists (57-42), service aces (7-4), digs (58-50), blocks (10.0 - 9.0), and points (76.0 - 58.0).
-The match featured 35 ties and 14 lead changes.
 
UP NEXT
The team will head up to Hempstead, N.Y. this Thursday, Oct. 24 for the second meeting of the season with Hofstra. First serve against the Pride is scheduled for 7 p.m. Elon then travels to Boston, Mass. for a 4 p.m. CAA match against Northeastern.