ELON, N.C. – Elon University volleyball is away this weekend as the team has conference matches at Charleston and UNCW. The Phoenix (7-8, 2-0 CAA) starts off the trip with a 7 p.m. tilt against the Cougars (3-11, 0-2) on Friday, Oct. 4 at TD Arena. The maroon and gold then heads north to face the Seahawks (10-5, 0-2)  this Sunday, Oct. 6 for a 1 p.m. contest in Hanover Hall.

COVERAGE
Updates for all of Elon's matches will be provided on the team's Twitter account at @ElonVB. Live stats will be available, Friday's match will be streamed here, and fans can watch Sunday's match here.

SERIES HISTORY
-vs. Charleston: The Cougars are looking for their first win in conference play after a pair of 3-0 losses at JMU and Delaware. CofC owns a 29-2 lead in the all-time series versus the Phoenix and claimed both 2018 meetings in straight sets.

-vs. UNCW: The Seahawks are 10-5 overall, but fell 3-0 at JMU last Thursday and followed with a five-set loss at Delaware on Saturday. UNCW is up 22-15 when playing the maroon and gold. The teams split last season's matches, with each side winning 3-2 on their home courts.

PHOENIX OPENS CONFERENCE PLAY WITH WINS OVER HOFSTRA, NORTHEASTERN
Elon earned a statement win last Friday as the Phoenix opened CAA play with a 3-1 victory over defending conference champion Hofstra. On Sunday, Elon trailed Northeastern 2-0 before rallying for a 3-2 final. After claiming set three 25-22 and set four 25-23, the Phoenix secured the match point with a 15-9 decision in the final set.

Entering this weekend, Elon is tied atop the league standings with Towson, who earned a 3-0 final at Delaware last Friday before shocking preseason favorite James Madison 3-1 last Sunday in Harrisonburg, Va. The Phoenix is 2-0 to start conference play for the first time since the 2010 season when Elon was a member of the SoCon. That year saw the team defeat Samford 3-1 on Sept. 25 before sweeping Chattanooga in straight sets on Sept. 26.

CAA NAMES DANIEL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Leah Daniel earned her first career weekly honor on Monday afternoon as the CAA selected the sophomore its Offensive Player of the Week. She is the second Phoenix to be named a Player of the Week this season after teammate Jenn Krzeminski garnered Rookie of the Week honors on Sept. 16.

Daniel led Elon's offense to wins over the Pride and Huskies as she hit .239 with 35 kills (3.89/set) and two service aces. She added nine digs, five blocks (one solo), and 40.0 points. The Zionsville, Ind. native has now reached double-digit kills in 10 consecutive matches and 14-of-15 matches this season. Against Northeastern, she converted 21-of-49 attacks (.327), marking the fourth time she has eclipsed 20 kills this season. The effort also moved her past the 400-career kills milestone.

UP NEXT
Elon has a busy week coming up with three home matches over four days. The Phoenix will host JMU next Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. The team then plays Delaware at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, followed by a 2 p.m. contest against Towson on Sunday, Oct. 13.