DURHAM, N.C. – Elon University volleyball was unable to stop a strong Duke offense as the Phoenix fell 3-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Elon 0, Duke 3 (11-25, 14-25, 18-25)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Duke jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, building a strong 19-6 advantage through the frame. The Phoenix would only rally off five more points, giving the Blue Devils a 25-11 win.
- Early in the second set, Duke controlled the momentum, leading 12-6. Elon answered with three straight points with a kill by Kyla Johnson and a pair of attacking errors from the Blue Devils. Ultimately, the Phoenix came up short as Duke closed out the second set, 25-14.
- Duke tried to put the match away quickly in the third, gaining a 13-4 lead. However, the maroon and gold scored four of the next six points. Later in the set, the Phoenix cut Duke's lead to five with the score at 23-18 but Elon could never get over the hump and the Blue Devils would score back-to-back points to close out the match 25-18.
NOTES
- Clara LaRue led the team in kills with six. Lily Barker followed with five kills and Keira Kasten with four kills.
- Jessica Parker reached 14 assists, her seventh consecutive match with double-digit assists.
- Lindsey Harris recorded one block.
- Jordan Gower continued to pace the defense, finishing with seven digs. Caroline Doyle was next with six, followed by Shannon O'Laughlin with five.
- Duke edged Elon in total kills (37-21), service aces (7-0), digs (41-32 and blocks (7-3).
- Elon still leads the all-time series, 8-7. The Phoenix falls to 0-4 versus the Blue Devils since making the jump to Division I.
- Gower eclipsed 1,454 career digs tonight, moving her into fifth in Elon history in career digs.
FROM HEAD COACH MARY TENDLER
"The athleticism and experience on the other side of the court made it very challenging for us tonight. I like how we got better and more confident as the match went along. It's been a long road stretch to start the season. We can't wait to play in Schar Center on Friday night."
UP NEXT
- Elon will host the Phoenix Volley for Unity Tournament this Friday-Sunday, Sept. 8-10. Elon opens against Western Carolina on Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday's match will be a neutral site match between Western Carolina and NC Central at 4 p.m. The Phoenix then concludes the tournament with a 2 p.m. meeting with the Eagles.
-- ELON --
