ELON, N.C. – The Elon University volleyball team was defeated in a hard-fought five-set match on Saturday against North Carolina A&T.
 
Elon 2, North Carolina A&T 3 (25-20, 18-25, 20-25, 25-20, 11-15) 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The opening set was a back-and-forth battle up until midway through. Tied at 11-11, Elon went on a 3-0 run fueled by a Lindsey Harris kill and a pair of blocks from Sydney Love, Caroline Berlekamp and Lily Barker. North Carolina A&T would battle back to get within one at 15-14 but that's as close as they got, as the Phoenix won 10 on the next 16 points. A kill from Barker sealed the first set for the maroon and gold, 25-20.
• The second set saw a similar pattern as the first where neither team led by more than two until the Aggies jumped ahead 21-18 late in the frame. From there, North Carolina A&T won four straight points to take the second set, 25-18.
• The Aggies jumped out to a quick 13-7 lead to start the third set. Elon chipped away at the lead throughout the set and three kills from Lanier, Berlekamp and Clara LaRue along with an Aggie service error tied the score at 17 all. The Phoenix scored just three more points as North Carolina A&T won the third set 25-20.
• It was another hard-fought battle throughout the fourth set. Tied at 14-14, the Phoenix won five of the next seven points to pull ahead 19-16. The Aggies came back on a 4-1 run to tie it at 20-20. Elon then won five straight points to win the set 25-20 thanks to a pair of kills from Cameron Lanier, a LaRue kill and a pair of Aggie attacking errors.
• The maroon and gold came out to a hot 3-0 lead to start the fifth set. The Aggies quickly responded to get a 6-4 lead. A kill from Lanier and a block from Lily Emlong and Lanier tied the set at 6-6. However, North Carolina A&T won nine of the next 14 points to win the set and match 15-11.

 
NOTES

• Clara LaRue led the Phoenix with 13 kills followed by Cameron Lanier with 12 and Sydney Love with 11.
• Love recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 kills and 10 digs.
• Jessica Parker recorded a season-high 33 assists and a team-high team aces.
• Caroline Doyle led the team in digs with 14 while Jordan Gower had 13.
• Caroline Berlekamp led the team with five blocks. Lily Barker and Love both had three apiece, which was a season-high for Barker.
• Lily Emlong made her season debut for the Phoenix, recording two blocks and three kills.  

 
FROM COACH TENDLER 
"It was another battle with our in-state CAA rival today. The difference in the match was at the service line. We have worked on it a lot in practice; we need to be more productive in that area. You could feel the momentum go back and forth in the match. Give credit to North Carolina A&T State for having the last push in that 5th set."
 
UP NEXT 
Elon returns to Schar Center tomorrow to face the Aggies at 2 p.m.