CHARLESTON, S.C. – Leah Daniel reached 1,000 career kills and Elon University volleyball defeated College of Charleston, 3-1 for the second time in as many days on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 18 at TD Arena.

"College of Charleston came out strong in the first set and we struggled to get anything going offensively," head coach Mary Tendler said following the win. "Our players weathered the storm and we were able to execute better and better as the match went along. Julia Crabtree did a great job coming in off the bench to get some big kills for us. She was definitely the spark that got things going in our direction."
 
Elon 3, Charleston 1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-16)
THE RUNDOWN
An early 9-0 run allowed the Cougars (7-6, 0-2 CAA) to pull ahead 12-3 in the opening set. The deficit proved too large to overcome, with the Phoenix (7-5, 2-0 CAA) getting as close as 23-18 on a block by Jenn Krzeminski and Sydney Love. CofC claimed the next two points and the set, 25-18.

After a 2-2 tie early in the second set, a Natalie Cummins kill opened a 7-0 run by the maroon and gold. The hosts scored three unanswered late to get to within 24-19, but a Charleston service error allowed Elon to tie the match at a set apiece.

Set Three remained close until a 3-0 run gave the Cougars control at 15-12. Krzeminski then scored two kills and added a block to highlight a 5-0 response that made it a 17-15 Elon lead. CofC got to within a point at 20-19, but Elon closed out the set with a 5-0 run as Krzeminksi served two aces down the stretch.

The fourth set was knotted at 2-2 when a Kellyn Trowse kill opened a 5-1 swing by the Phoenix. Later, Elon followed back-to-back errors by the Cougars with a Daniel kill and a block by Krzeminski and Haylie Clark to go up 13-8. Another 5-1 run created separation at 18-11, and for the second set in a row Elon finished on a 5-0 run to win the match with a 25-16 tally.   
 
HIGHLIGHTS
Daniel swung for a .250 clip and paced the attack with 19 kills, Krzeminski and Love followed with seven kills each, and Crabtree was right behind them with six. Clark recorded her second double-double in as many days with 33 assists and 15 digs. Krzeminski led Elon's servers with four aces, Jordan Gower had two, and Daniel and Clark served one each. Krzeminski and Clark tallied five blocks each, Cummins added four, and Daniel and Love both had two. Joining Clark in double-digit digs were Gower with 23, Alex VanWestrienen with 14 and Trowse with 11.

"Congratulations to Leah on reaching a big milestone today," added Tendler. "She was able to get her 1,000th kill while being a major part in helping us get the win today."
 
NOTES
- Elon cuts CofC's lead in the all-time series to 32-5.
- This is the first time Elon has defeated Charleston twice in one season.
- Elon is 2-0 to start league play for the second time in three seasons. In 2019, the maroon and gold began CAA play at home versus Hofstra and Northeastern, defeating the Pride 3-1 on Sept. 27 before earning a five-set victory over the Huskies on Sept. 29. Elon then made it 3-0 with a 3-2 win at Charleston on Oct. 4.
- The Phoenix led the Cougars in points (63.0-55.0), kills (46-41), assists (40-37), service aces (8-6), blocks (9-8) and digs (80-72).
- The match featured 12 ties, including six in the third set, and five lead changes.
- Clark 's consecutive matches with double-digit assists is now at 37.
- Caroline Doyle set a new season high with eight digs.
- Krzeminski's four aces ties her career high. She also served four in Elon's 3-0 sweep of Presbyterian on Sept. 3 earlier this season.

UP NEXT
"We look forward to playing our first conference matches in Schar Center next weekend," said Tendler. Elon will host Delaware for a 7 p.m. match on Saturday, Sept. 25 followed by a 1:30 p.m. meeting on Sunday, Sept. 26.