WILLIAMSBURG, VA. – The Elon University volleyball team battled in the fourth set but came up just short as the Phoenix (0-2, 0-1) dropped its CAA opener 3-1 to William & Mary on Friday night, Feb. 26 at Kaplan Arena.
 
"We knew William & Mary would come out very strong tonight," said Phoenix head coach Mary Tendler. "We were able to slow them down a bit at the end, but not enough to take it to a fifth set. I liked how we responded being down 0-2. Tomorrow is a great opportunity to get another shot at them and get a valuable road split."
 
Elon 1, W&M 3 (16-25, 17-25, 26-24, 22-25)
THE RUNDOWN
The maroon and gold built an early 6-3 advantage in the opening set, however a 7-2 swing allowed the Tribe (1-0, 1-0) to go up 13-10. Kodi Garcia set up Leah Daniel to get Elon to within 15-12, but W&M took off again with a 5-1 push and held on for the 25-16 decision.
 
W&M opened Set Two with four unanswered points and held an early 6-1 lead. A pair of kills by Natalie Cummins cut the deficit down to 9-7, but Elon could now slow down its opponent as the Tribe used a 6-2 run to force a Phoenix timeout. The teams then traded points as the hosts earned a 2-0 match lead with a 25-17 final to the second set.
 
It looked like Elon would again struggle in Set Three as the Tribe opened with six straight points, but a Daniel kill ignited an 8-1 run as the Phoenix began to find its rhythm offensively. W&M was able to wrestle back control at 24-23, but kills by Haylie Clark and Gabi Croll and a service ace from Garcia gave Elon the set, 26-24.
 
Set Four was another battle as the teams were close from start to finish. Elon looked to force a fifth set as a pair of attack errors gave the Phoenix an 18-12 lead. However, W&M was able to pull even at 21-21 and followed a Daniel kill with a 4-0 run to clinch the match with a 25-22 tally.

HIGHLIGHTS
Daniel finished with a .442 hit percentage after converting 20-of-43 attacks with only one error. Clark and Croll followed with eight kills each, while Garcia and Clark combined for 35 assists. Defensively, Gower tallied 21 digs on the night and Cummins and Krzeminski recorded two blocks each.

NOTES
- The match marked the start of the season for the Tribe.
- Elon's all-time series lead falls to 11-6.
- Daniel eclipsed 700 career kills in the loss.
- W&M swung for a .326 hit percentage compared to .206 for the Phoenix.
 
Up Next
The Phoenix and Tribe return to Kaplan Arena tomorrow, Feb. 27 for another 7 p.m. CAA match.