ELON N.C. – The Elon University volleyball team won the third set but could not force a fifth against Towson, as the Phoenix lost 25-15, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17 to the Tigers on Sunday.
 
The loss comes a day after Elon ended Towson's 18-match winning streak on Saturday. With the loss, Elon falls to 7-11 overall and 4-4 in Colonial Athletic Association matches. Towson improved to 19-1 overall and 9-1 in CAA play. 
 
"We knew going into the match that Towson was going to come out strong and we would have to respond," head coach Mary Tendler said. "It took us too long to slow their offense down. When we finally responded, good things happened and we were able to win that third set. Our mindset was to get the weekend sweep against Towson. That didn't happen today, so we move on and focus our attention on preparing for College of Charleston." 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Towson won the first four points of the opening set and never looked back. Kills by Sydney Love and Jenn Krzeminski made the score 5-4 but the Phoenix did not get within one the rest of the frame. The Tigers pulled away to win it 25-15.
• Elon responded early in the second by winning five of the first eight points, three of which were Haylie Clark kills. However, a 6-0 Towson run in the middle of the set gave the Tigers a 16-8 advantage. Elon did not pull within less than five the remainder of the frame, as Towson won it 25-17. 
• The Tigers raced out to an 8-4 lead in the third, but the Phoenix bounced back with a 4-0 run to tie it. The rest of the set was back-and-forth, with both teams trading points until a 6-0 Elon run put the maroon and gold ahead 21-17. Towson tied it again at 23-23 but kills by Leah Daniel and Brooke Doherty clinched a 25-23 third set win for Elon. 
• Another early run gave Towson a 9-3 lead in the fourth set. However, a 7-1 run by the Phoenix helped Elon level the score at 10-10. The Tigers took nine of the next 12 points to build a six-point lead and closed out the match with a 25-17 win in the fourth.  

NOTES

• Sydney Love registered double-digit kills for the second consecutive match and the eighth time this season. The sophomore also had four blocks for the second straight day. 
• A day after becoming Elon's all-time leader in career kills, Leah Daniel had nine kills for the Phoenix. She also added a team-high and season-best five blocks. 
• With 29 assists and 10 digs, Haylie Clark posted her 10th double-double of the season and 37th of her career. The senior also had seven kills on 20 attacks.  
• Jordan Gower paced the Phoenix with 15 digs. The senior has double-digit digs in all her appearances this season and has finished with at least 15 digs in seven consecutive matches. 
• Caroline Doyle and Alex VanWestrienen both had 11 digs for Elon. Doyle did not enter the match until the score was 6-4 in the third set but racked up eight digs in the frame. Elon also won nine of her 11 service points in the match, including a run of five in a row in the third that put Elon ahead 21-17. 
• Jenn Krzeminski had eight kills and four blocks to finish with a team-high 12 points. 
• After putting up 19 assists yesterday, Ericka Link added another 14 today, including eight in the second set. The junior has double-digit assists in four matches this season. 
• Freshman Brooke Doherty tallied six kills, including one that clinched the third set for Elon. This was the ninth time this season she had at least five kills in a match. 
• As a team, Elon outpaced Towson in digs (64-57). The Tigers held advantages in kills (47-45), assists (45-43), blocks (19-10) and aces (9-3).
• The Phoenix won four sets this weekend against Towson. The Tigers had lost just five sets all season before Saturday. 
• Elon is the only CAA team to win sets in both matches of a weekend series this season against Towson. 

UP NEXT
Elon hosts College of Charleston next weekend in another home CAA series. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.