ELON, N.C. – The Elon University volleyball team fell against UNCW in three sets in its home conference opener on Saturday afternoon.
Elon 0, UNCW 3 (19-25, 22-25, 20-25)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Elon fell behind quickly in the opening set, trailing 8-4 in the early going. UNCW extended their lead to as many as nine, but the Phoenix found some rhythm late in the set before falling 25-19.
- The second set was a battle to the finish that included 15 ties and six lead changes. The Phoenix went ahead 15-12 thanks to a Sydney Love kill, Abigail Sparkman ace and a Seahawk error, but UNCW responded quickly, going on a 4-0 run to regain the lead. A Cameron Lanier kill brought the Phoenix within one at 21-20 but the Seahawks used a 4-2 run to pull away for the 25-22 victory.
- The third set followed a similar pattern to the second at the beginning going point-for-point until midway through. With the score tied 8-8, UNCW won four straight points to go up 12-8. Back-to-back kills from Lanier brought the Phoenix within one at 15-14, but Elon never got closer, as the Seahawks eventually closed out the match 25-20.
NOTES
- CAA Rookie of the Week Cameron Lanier led Elon with eight kills, while Keira Kasten added seven.
- Jessica Parker tallied 14 assists on the match, followed by Ericka Link with seven.
- Jordan Gower led the way for the Phoenix with 22 digs. With the effort, Gower surpassed 1,500 career digs, becoming the fifth player in program history to reach the milestone.
- Kyla Johnson and Lanier each had six blocks to lead the Phoenix. Johnson's six were a career best.
- Abigail Sparkman led the team recording two service aces, the first in her Elon career.
- As a team, Elon had 10.0 blocks, compared to just 4.0 for UNCW.
FROM COACH MARY TENDLER
"This was a tough match for us, we struggled offensively. At the same time, our block was very effective and we dug a lot of balls. Jordan was amazing, didn't let anything drop on her side of the court. We will look to improve on our offensive execution tomorrow."
UP NEXT
- Elon and UNCW return to Schar Center tomorrow, Sept. 24 for another 2 p.m. CAA matchup.
-- ELON --
