ELON, N.C. – Elon University volleyball is back in action this Thursday, March 18 as the team makes the short drive to Greensboro, N.C. for a 6 p.m. non-conference match at UNC Greensboro.

Live stats will be available, and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
THE SERIES
- The Spartans (2-10, 2-10 SoCon) hold a 36-20 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1972.
- Elon is looking for its fourth-straight win over UNCG. The Phoenix (2-3, 2-2 CAA) won in five sets in Greensboro on Sept. 3, 2016. The maroon and gold then took the next two meetings in straight sets on Sept. 16, 2017 and Sept. 20, 2019.
- The two programs last squared off during the 2019 campaign at the University of Virginia's Jefferson Cup in Charlottesville, Va. Alum Nori Thomas led the Phoenix with 15 kills, Kodi Garcia chipped in 25 assists, Jordan Gower had 15 digs and Natalie Cummins recorded three blocks in the victory. Leah Daniel also added 13 kills with six digs. Elon held the advantage in points (61.0-50.0), kills (50-39), service aces (7-5), assists (50-35) and digs (56-41).
- Elon was supposed to open its 2021 season at UNCG on Feb. 18 but the match was postponed due to a winter storm that impacted the region. 
 
ABOUT THE PHOENIX
- After opening the season with a four-set loss to VCU and dropping its first two CAA matches at William & Mary, the Phoenix rebounded with a pair of 3-1 conference wins over visiting UNCW on March 6-7 at Schar Center.
- Elon had three double-doubles in the first match against the Seahawks: Clark posted 22 assists with 10 kills, Garcia ended up with 19 assists and 11 digs, and Daniel scored a team-high 19 kills with 10 digs. Additionally, four different players served two aces each. Cummins and Jenn Krzeminski both finished with five blocks, Gower reached 15 digs, and Alex VanWestrienen posted double-digit digs with 11.
- In the second match with UNCW, Clark just missed out on her second triple-double in three matches. The Saint Cloud, Fla. native racked up 21 assists with 11 kills and eight digs. Gabi Croll swung for a .258 clip with 11 kills, Garcia put up 17 assists, and Daniel served five aces. Daniel and VanWestrienen also reached double-digit digs with 12 apiece. At the net, Cummins, Julia Crabtree and Krzeminski recorded four blocks each.
- On offense, the Phoenix is averaging 11.6 kills with 11.0 assists and 1.5 aces per set. Defensively, the team's averages include 13.7 digs and 1.7 blocks per set.
- Daniel leads the team with 79 (3.76/set) and seven aces while Garcia and Clark have combined for 199 assists. Gower owns 89 digs (4.24/set), Krzeminski is at 18.0 blocks, and Cummins is close behind with 15.0 blocks.
- Clark ranks second in the conference and sixth in the nation with her one triple-double this season.
 
SCOUTING UNCG
- The Spartans returned 11 players from last season and are led by senior Maria Esch and sophomore Gabriella McHugh.
- Esch ranked fourth in the SoCon in 2019 in kills per set (3.52) and led UNCG with 384 kills, the 10th best single-season total in program history. She also led the team with 292 digs.
- McHugh finished 2019 with 1,127 assists to become on eof six Spartans to gather over 1,100 assist in a season. She ranked fourth in the SoCon in assists per set (10.06) and was second on the team with 30 service aces.
- UNCG opened its season with an eight-match skid before earning its first wins, 3-2 and 3-1 at Furman on Feb. 28 - March 1. The Spartans then dropped a pair of matches to Wofford in straight sets on March 14-15.
-As a team, the Spartans are averaging 10.4 kills per set, 9.6 assists per set and 1.3 aces per set. On defense, the team averages 14.8 digs and 1.5 blocks per set.
- Esch leads the offense with 175.5 points and 158 kills (3.22/set) and McHugh owns 354 assists. The Spartans also have three players with double-digit service aces: Stephanie Meysembourg with 14, Jenna Wiggs with 12 and Mandy Garvens has 10. On the other side of the net, Esch has a team-high 145 digs, followed closely by Garvens and Wiggs with 142 and 141, respectively. Hannah Knier and Grey Breen are UNCG's primary blockers with a combined 66 between them.

GARCIA CLIMBS ELON'S CAREER ASSISTS LEADERS LIST
- With 2,893 career assists, Garcia now ranks third on the program's all-time career assists leaders list.
- The Tomball, Texas native overtakes Emerald Zemedkun (1997-00), who finished her time as a Phoenix with 2,870 assists.
- Garcia is 548 assists away from pulling even with Kate Hart (2002-05), who is second on the list with 3,441 career assists. Priscilla Awkard (1991-94) has the most career assists in Elon volleyball history with 3,929.

ISABELLA SEMAN NAMED 2020-21 SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
- Senior Isabella Seman was named a candidate for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award back on March 1.
- The Pittsburgh, Pa. native is one of 30 NCAA women's volleyball student-athletes in the running for the award.
- An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award was created in 2001 as a unique award that honors NCAA Division I seniors who remain committed to their university and elect to pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an DI senior and have notable achievements in four C's of community, classroom, character and competition.
- The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later this month, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four areas of excellence.
- The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2020-21 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in April.

UP NEXT
- Elon returns to Schar Center this Saturday, March 20 to host Davidson at 2 p.m. The match marks Senior Day for the Phoenix.