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Elon Volleyball huddle at Towson on Oct. 18
Troy L. Sayles

Women's Volleyball Elon Athletics

Phoenix Welcomes N.C. A&T To Schar Center This Weekend

ELON – The Elon University volleyball team returns to its home floor at Schar Center this weekend, as the Phoenix (5-14, 3-5 CAA) hosts Piedmont Triad rival North Carolina A&T (9-8, 5-3 CAA) in a CAA series on Friday and Saturday.
 
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 24 – vs. N.C. A&T at 3 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 25 – vs. N.C. A&T at 6 p.m.
 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX  
SERIES HISTORY (Elon leads 33-13)
  • Piedmont Triad rivals since 1978, Elon and N.C. A&T have met 46 times on the volleyball court, with the Phoenix holding a 33-13 series advantage. Since becoming CAA opponents in 2022, however, the Aggies have had the upper hand with a 4-2 record over Elon, including four straight wins.
  • The Aggies swept the Phoenix in Greensboro last season, earning a three-set win in the opener before outlasting Elon in five sets in the finale. Clara Simmons ranked second on the team in kills per set at 2.50, while Cameron Lanier was third at 2.13. Overall, Elon posted a .186 attack percentage.
  • Elon's last win in the series came in 2022, when the Phoenix swept the Aggies in both matches in Greensboro. The Phoenix's most recent home victory over N.C. A&T came on Aug. 28, 2018, in straight sets.
 
LAST TIME OUT
  • The Phoenix earned a split at CAA-leader Towson last weekend. Elon fell to the Tigers in the opener, 3-0, on Friday before pulling off a 3-2 victory in the finale on Saturday. The win snapped Towson's 18-match winning streak and gave the Maroon and Gold its first win over the Tigers since 2022.
  • Simmons led the Phoenix with 27 kills, averaging 3.38 per set with a .215 hitting percentage. Simrin Carlsen added 21 kills (2.63 per set) and led the team with 30 digs (3.75 per set).
  • Catherine Rucker finished with 16 kills and a team-high .406 hitting percentage, while Kayla Palmer directed the offense with 45 assists (5.63 per set), including a career-high 26 in Saturday's win.
 
ELON AT A GLANCE
  • Elon is 3-5 in the CAA standings, tied with Northeastern and one game back of sixth place. Towson remains atop the league at 9-1, with Hofstra in second at 8-2.
  • The Phoenix is hitting .165 as a team and averaging 11.2 kills per set while holding opponents to a .236 hitting percentage. Elon also averages 10.4 assists per set.
  • Simmons leads the team with 2.65 kills per set and 164 total kills this season. She also paces the team with 181.5 total points (2.93 per set) and surpassed the 500-career-kill milestone last weekend.
  • Carlsen ranks second in points (164.5) and is tied with Lanier for second in kills with 143 (2.23 per set). The Edison, New Jersey, native also ranks 10th in the CAA in digs per set at 3.23.
  • Rucker ranks eighth in the conference in service aces per set (0.34) and leads the Phoenix with 41 total blocks.
  • Now in its 54th season of competition and 27th at the Division I level, Elon returned 10 letterwinners from last season, including three starters. The Phoenix also welcomed five newcomers in 2025, four freshmen and one transfer.
  • Lanier earned 2025 Preseason All-CAA laurels with teammates Rucker and Caroline Berlekamp also getting preseason league recognition.
  • Elon returned 61% of its kills, 25% of its assists, 35% of its digs and 62% of its points scored from 2024.
 
SCOUTING N.C. A&T
  • The Aggies swept William & Mary in their most recent CAA series last weekend in Greensboro, winning both matches in four sets. N.C. A&T has now won five of its last six matches.
  • The Aggies are averaging 12.6 kills per set with a .202 attack percentage and 11.7 assists per set, along with 108 service aces.
  • Sophomore Tyne Ross leads the CAA in kills per set at 4.51, with five matches of 20 or more kills this season. Junior Mikala Sampson ranks second on the team at 2.51 kills per set, followed by Zariah Winton at 2.34. Junior setter Leonor Polezzi leads the CAA in assists per set at 10.02, the only player in the league averaging double digits.
  • Hal Clifton is in his 15th season leading the N.C. A&T volleyball program.
 
WELCOME COACH TROY
  • Elon head coach Matt Troy is in his first season with the Phoenix after six years leading Johns Hopkins, where he compiled a 151-17 record and captured the 2019 NCAA Division III national championship.
  • Troy has a career record of 357-96 (.788) over 14 seasons at the Division III level, including a 66-match winning streak from 2019-21. He ranks among the top 10 all-time and active coaches in Division III history by win percentage.
 
ALL-AMERICAN NEW FACE
  • Among the new faces for the Phoenix this season includes graduate student transfer Simrin Carlsen, an outside hitter from Edison, N.J. Carlsen arrives to the Phoenix after competing at Johns Hopkins from 2021-24, recording over 1,000 career kills under former Blue Jay and now current Elon coach Matt Troy.
  • Carlsen posted a decorated career at Johns Hopkins, as she was a two-time AVCA All-American, earning First Team laurels in 2023 and Second Team accolades in 2024. She was also a two-time AVCA First Team All-Region V (2023, 2024).
  • She was named Baltimore Regional Most Outstanding Player in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and earned Centennial Conference Player of the Year that same season.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
  • Elon is in its eighth season playing at Schar Center, which seats 5,100 and serves as home to the Phoenix men's and women's basketball teams.
  • Elon will host two more matches this season at the facility with admission being free for all fans.
 
UP NEXT
  • The Phoenix travels to intrastate rival Campbell for its next CAA series on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
 
STAY POSTED
  • For further coverage of Elon volleyball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonVB) and Instagram (@ElonVB).
 
-- ELON --
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Players Mentioned

Caroline Berlekamp

#11 Caroline Berlekamp

MB
6' 2"
Junior
Mintonette Sports
Cameron Lanier

#13 Cameron Lanier

OH
6' 1"
Junior
CHAVC
Kayla Palmer

#12 Kayla Palmer

S
5' 7"
Sophomore
VolleyFX
Catherine Rucker

#17 Catherine Rucker

MB
6' 0"
Sophomore
CHAVC
Clara Simmons

#7 Clara Simmons

OH
6' 0"
Senior
Twin City Volleyball
Simrin Carlsen

#15 Simrin Carlsen

OH
5' 10"
Graduate Student
VB Rags Volleyball Academy

Players Mentioned

Caroline Berlekamp

#11 Caroline Berlekamp

6' 2"
Junior
Mintonette Sports
MB
Cameron Lanier

#13 Cameron Lanier

6' 1"
Junior
CHAVC
OH
Kayla Palmer

#12 Kayla Palmer

5' 7"
Sophomore
VolleyFX
S
Catherine Rucker

#17 Catherine Rucker

6' 0"
Sophomore
CHAVC
MB
Clara Simmons

#7 Clara Simmons

6' 0"
Senior
Twin City Volleyball
OH
Simrin Carlsen

#15 Simrin Carlsen

5' 10"
Graduate Student
VB Rags Volleyball Academy
OH