ELON, N.C. – Another CAA Championship Tournament is on the horizon for Phoenix fans as the Elon University men's soccer team will be hosting postseason play on Rudd Field after being crowned the regular season champions.
On top of the playoffs, both the Elon University men's and women's basketball teams will begin their 2024-25 campaigns on Monday night.
Each Monday, Rising Phoenix will preview the week ahead in Elon athletics. Here is a look at each Elon team competing this week.
Women's Basketball
The Elon University women's basketball team will open up its season at home on Monday, Nov. 4 for a 6 p.m. tipoff against High Point. In its exhibition game against Winston-Salem State, the Phoenix earned a commanding 76-46 victory, led by freshman guard Jayda Angel's 13 point performance. The Phoenix also earned two preseason accolades as senior forward Iycez Adams was named to the Preseason All-CAA second team and redshirt sophomore guard Raven Preston was named a Preseason All-CAA honorable mention.
Men's Basketball
Along with the women's basketball team, the men's basketball team will begin its season on Monday night. The Phoenix will travel down the road to take on UNC Chapel Hill on the ACC Network at 9 p.m. After a successful 2023-24 season, junior guard TK Simpkins was named to the Preseason All-CAA second team.
Football
In its annual Homecoming game, the Elon University football team earned its first home victory, defeating Campbell 50-27. Redshirt senior wide receiver Chandler Brayboy had another stellar performance, amassing 309 all-purpose yards, two touchdowns and a career-high 183 receiving yards. Senior running back Rushawn Baker also had the best game of his career with a career-high 23 carries and 154 yards. The team will travel to William & Mary to face the Tribe on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
Volleyball
For the final time this season, the Elon University volleyball team will be in Schar Center this weekend as the team competes in its last two home matches on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. against William & Mary. Against North Carolina A&T on Sunday, graduate student setter Ericka Link secured her first double-double of the season with 19 assists and 13 digs, both of which marked her season-highs. Junior outside hitter Clara LaRue also earned her first double-double of her career with a team-leading 12 kills and career-high 11 digs. Senior outside hitter Sydney Love also added 23 kills on the weekend as she surpassed 1,000 career kills.
Men's Soccer
With a 2-1 victory over Campbell in its regular season finale, the Elon University men's soccer team became CAA regular season champions for the second time in the last three years. The two goals were scored by senior midfielder Scott Vatne and junior midfielder Connor Mucchetti, their tenth and third of the season, respectively. As the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Elon will receive an automatic bye into the semifinals and will play host to either Charleston or Hofstra on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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