ELON, N.C. – The Elon University volleyball team suffered a 3-1 setback at the hands of VCU in the Phoenix's 2021 spring season-opener on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at Schar Center.
 
"We appreciated the opportunity to get back out on Robertson Court and compete again," said Phoenix head coach Mary Tendler. "We came out really strong against a very good VCU team, but we weren't able to sustain that throughout the match. We know what we need to work on to get better. This match will definitely benefit us as we start (Colonial Athletic Association) play this weekend.
 
Elon 1, VCU 3 (26-24, 19-25, 17-25, 14-25)
THE RUNDOWN
The Phoenix opened the match with Kodi Garcia assisting Gabi Croll on back-to-back kills. With the set tied at 10-10, another Croll score ignited a 6-1 run by the maroon and gold. The Rams (7-1) closed the gap down the stretch and were able to pull even at 24-24, but a VCU service error and a Leah Daniel kill earned Elon the set point, 26-24.

In the second set, the teams were knotted at 6-6 when the Rams benefited from a pair of Elon attack errors and added a pair of kills to jump ahead, 10-6. Jordan Gower assisted Daniel to get to within 14-12, but a 6-2 run by VCU proved too much for the Phoenix to overcome as the Rams pulled even in the match with a 25-19 decision.

Elon got off to a fast start in the third set, going up 4-1, before VCU went on a 9-4 run to take the lead at 10-8. The Phoenix trimmed its deficit to one, 10-9, on a kill by Julia Crabtree, but the Rams extended their lead to 15-10 as VCU answered with a 5-1 rally. Elon was able to narrow the gap to three, 16-13, after a Gower service ace, but the Rams regained the momentum to move back up by five, 20-15, before eventually winning the set 25-17.
 
In the final set, an 8-2 start by the Rams forced an early Phoenix timeout. VCU expanded its lead by as large as eight, 14-6, before Elon closed the gap with a 5-1 run to trim the Rams' lead to 15-11. The Phoenix however could not overcome the margin as VCU remained in control of the set, moving on to an eventual 25-14 victory to clinch the match.

HIGHLIGHTS
Croll paced the attack with 15 kills, Daniel and Natalie Cummins both scored nine, and Jenn Krzeminski finished with eight. Garcia tallied 23 assists, Clark was close behind with 18, and Isabella Seman chipped in a pair of service aces. Defensively, Gower ended up with 22 digs while Krzeminski and Croll recorded four and three blocks, respectively.

NOTES
-Garcia eclipsed the 2,800 career assists mark and now owns 2,816.
-The match marked the team's season opener after a Feb. 19 match at UNCG was postponed due to a winter storm.
-VCU now leads the all-time series 6-2.
-The two teams will meet again on March 24 for a 4 p.m. match in Richmond, Va.
 
Up Next
The Phoenix begins CAA play at William & Mary on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26-27, with both contests starting at 7 p.m.