ELON, N.C. – After dropping the opening set, the Elon University volleyball team claimed the next three to earn a 3-1 conference victory over UNCW on Sunday afternoon, March 7 at Schar Center.
 
"It was a lot of fun playing in Schar Center this weekend and picking up two crucial wins," head coach Mary Tendler said. "We continue to appreciate the opportunity to compete. It was a quick turnaround from yesterday's match. I'm proud of the players for finding the energy and staying mentally focused to earn the win."
 
Elon 3, UNCW 1  (21-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-18)
THE RUNDOWN
In the opening set, the Seahawks (0-7, 0-4 CAA) broke a 2-2 tie with four unanswered points. Another 5-0 push gave the visitors an 11-4 lead. Haylie Clark assisted Gabi Croll to start a 7-1 swing that closed the gap at 16-14. From there, the sides traded points before an Elon attack error and a Madison Spencer kill clinched the first set for UNCW, 25-21.

UNCW came out hot in the second set, earning the first seven points en route to an early 10-2 lead. Elon would recover though as three Leah Daniel kills highlighted a seven-point response that got the maroon and gold to within 10-9. After a UNCW service error, Daniel then served back-to-back aces to give the Phoenix (2-3, 2-2) the lead at 12-11. The rest of the set was close, but Croll converted an attack attempt and the Seahawks committed an attack error as Elon pulled even with a 25-22 decision.

Jenn Krzeminski broke open a close set three as her kill started a 9-2 run that put the Phoenix in front 13-9. Later, three straight UNCW attack errors and another Krzeminski kill helped Elon pull away 22-12. Natalie Cummins then gave the Phoenix the 2-1 match lead as her kill capped off the set, 25-16.

With Set Four knotted at 6-6, Elon took off with six-straight points as Daniel served another two aces. Elon never gave up the lead from there, and a 25-18 tally earned the Phoenix its second win in as many days.

HIGHLIGHTS
Clark just missed out on another triple-double as the Saint Cloud, Fla. native racked up 21 assists with 11 kills and eight digs. Croll swung for a .258 clip and also had 11 kills, Kodi Garcia put up 17 assists, and Daniel served five aces. Daniel and Alex VanWestrienen also reached double-digit digs with 12 apiece. At the net, Cummins, Julia Crabtree and Krzeminski recorded four blocks each.

NOTES
- With the win, Elon has narrowed UNCW's lead in the all-time series to 24-17.
- This is the first time since 1999 that Elon has defeated UNCW twice in the same season.
- This was the third match in a row Clark has posted double-digit kills, while Garcia has registered double-digit assists in four-straight matches. VanWestrienen also has a streak of double-digit digs over the past three matches.
- Elon edged UNCW in points (66-63), service aces (13-7) and blocks (9-5). Both teams collected 56 digs.
- As a team, the Phoenix hit for .228 on the day, compared to .177 for the visitors.
 
Up Next
Elon continues CAA play with a pair of home matches against James Madison on Sunday and Monday, March 14-15. The first match is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the second will begin at 4 p.m.