HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Elon University volleyball was unable to defeat the defending CAA champs a second time this season as Hofstra claimed a four-set victory Thursday night, Oct. 24 at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center. 
 
"The effort was there tonight and we fought hard to steal a match on the road," said head coach Mary Tendler. "However, we made some mental errors that really hurt us and gave momentum to Hofstra. The highlight was our much improved blocking, which was great to see."

The loss drops the Phoenix to 11-12 overall and 5-4 in league play. The Pride takes sole possession of third place in the conference standings at 13-8, 6-3.
 
Hofstra 3, Elon 1 | 19-25, 25-20, 23-25, 19-25
THE RUNDOWN
Elon had a strong start to the match as a pair of Jordan Gower service aces capped off a 4-0 run by the Phoenix. After the maroon and gold doubled its lead at 8-4, Hofstra finally responded with five-straight points. The hosts then took over control with a 9-2 swing that put the Pride in front 22-16. An ace by Kellyn Trowse helped close the gap at 22-19, but closed out the set with a 25-19 decision.

The Phoenix built an early lead again in Set Two as Kodi Garcia set up Jenn Krzeminski to make it 4-1. The Pride kept the score close, but Elon erupted for seven unanswered to pull ahead 17-11. Hofstra put a scare into the maroon and gold with a 3-0 push that got the hosts to within 23-20, but a Leah Daniel score and an attack error by the Pride evened the match at a set apiece.

Hofstra got all of the momentum back in the third set. It looked like Elon would cruise to another set point with a comfortable 13-6 advantage, but the Pride came out of a timeout determined. The home team rose to the occasion with a 10-2 swing that gave them the lead at 16-15. Down the stretch, Trowse scored a kill and then served an ace as Elon trailed 23-22. However, the team's traded points and Hofstra went up 2-1 in the match.

The Pride led Set Four from start to finish. After Hofstra took an early 5-1 lead, a Daniel kill and consecutive Hofstra errors made it a one-point game. That was as close as the Phoenix would get, though, as the Pride pulled away for a 25-19 result.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
Daniel swung for 16 kills to pace the offensive effort, and Trowse followed with 11 kills. Gracia contributed 25 assists, Haylie Clark finished with 15 assists and 10 digs, and Gower served up three aces to go along with a team-high 13 digs. At the net, Krzeminski recorded nine blocks (one solo) and Natalie Cummins added six.

NOTES
-This is just the second time that the teams have split a regular-season series as both programs won at home during the 2017 season. The Pride won in straight sets on Oct. 6, and the Phoenix responded with a 3-2 win in Alumni Gym on Nov. 3.
-Hofstra takes a 10-2 lead in the all-times series.
-The nine blocks mark a new season high for Krzeminski.
-The double-double marked Clark's seventh of the season and eighth of her career.
-Gower's three aces are a new season high.
-The Phoenix ended up with 15.0 blocks on the night, one shy of its season high. Elon made 16.0 blocks versus Davidson back on Sept. 7 in Lynchburg, Va.
-The match featured 20 ties and eight lead changes.
 
UP NEXT
Elon continues its road trip in Boston, Mass. with a 4 p.m. conference match at Northeastern this Saturday, Oct. 26. The Huskies (10-10, 4-4) are in action tomorrow night as they host league-leader Towson (18-2, 8-0) for a 7 p.m. tilt.