CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Elon volleyball team bounced back from a straight-set loss against Coastal Carolina on Friday morning by posting a strong effort against tournament host Charlotte in the evening. In the end, the Phoenix came up short, falling 3-1 to conclude day one at the Charlotte Invitational.
Elon 0, Coastal Carolina 3 (16-25, 23-25, 16-25)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- With the score tied at 2-2 early in set one, the Chants went on an 11-3 run to get a lead on the Phoenix and eventually seized the first set 25-16.
- Elon got the early lead in set two with a pair of blocks and kills by Sydney Love and Cameron Lanier. The Phoenix led 21-16 before Coastal Carolina combined for three kills and two blocks to tie it. It was a tight fight to the finish, but the Chants were able to pull it out to give them the 25-23 victory.
- After another battle back-and-forth to start the third set, Coastal Carolina went on a 5-2 run to go up 18-11. Elon rallied to win three of the next six points, but that's as close as the Phoenix got, as the Chants came away with a 25-16 win.
- Love led Elon with eleven kills. Lanier, in her career debut, registered eight kills.
- Jessica Parker captured a team-high 15 assists in her career debut, followed by Ericak Link with nine.
- Love and Parker each led the Phoenix with eight digs.
- Lindsey Harris and Caroline Berlekamp led the team in blocks with two each.
Elon 1, Charlotte 3 (22-25, 25-19, 20-25, 14-25)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Neither side could pull away in the opening set until a service ace by Caroline Doyle and back-to-back blocks from Love and Berlekamp gave Elon a 13-9 lead. However, a pair of Elon attack errors and kills from the 49ers later tied the set at 17. Charlotte then went on an 8-3 run to seal the first set.
- Looking to rebound, the Phoenix gained an 8-5 lead with kills from Love and Harris. Charlotte battled back, going on an 11-5 run to take the lead at 16-13. Elon responded with three kills in a row to tie the set at 16. The Phoenix then scored eight of the next 11 points on Shannon O'Laughlin's serve. Keira Kasten clinched a 25-19 Elon set win with a kill.
- Charlotte came back strong in the third set and took a 23-13 lead. Once again, Elon rallied with Kyla Johnson serving two aces and winning three more straight points while having all six of the team's freshmen on the court at the same time. However, the 49ers eventually reeled off two points to notch the 25-20 win.
- The 49ers led the fourth and final set wire-to-wire, ending the match on a 12-5 run.
NOTES
- Love again paced the attack with 13 kills. Lanier followed with six and Harris added five to match her career high.
- Parker tallied a team-high of 18 assists.
- Harris led the team in blocks with six, falling one shy of her career high. Lanier totaled five blocks, with Love and Berlekamp adding four each.
- Gower led Elon in digs with 21, followed by Parker's eight. Doyle and Love also added six.
- The Phoenix totaled nine aces on the match compared to Charlotte's seven.
FROM COACH MARY TENDLER
"It felt good to finally play today after going through preseason. The improvements made from the first match to the second were exciting. We had good execution for longer stretches of time and made some smarter decisions. We will get some rest tonight after a long day and work towards a more positive outcome tomorrow."
UP NEXT
- Elon will face Charleston Southern at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
-- ELON --
