ELON – The Elon University volleyball team overcame an opening-set loss to earn a 3-1 victory (18-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-18) over UNCW on Saturday night at Schar Center.
 
Elon (6-18, 4-9 CAA) saw sophomore Anna Sewell record a career night, posting a personal-best 16 kills. Catherine Rucker and Simrin Carlsen added eight kills apiece, with Carlsen also tallying 19 digs. Both Rucker and Sewell hit over .300 for the match, as Rucker hit at a .375 clip and Sewell connected on .308 of her swings.
 
UNCW (4-19, 3-10 CAA) totaled 45 kills, led by Hannah Forbes with 15. Olivia Heidel paced the Seahawks with a match-high 32 assists.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• Elon fell behind 5-1 in the opening frame but battled back to cut its deficit to one at 6-5. UNCW pushed its lead to 10-6 before the Phoenix answered with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 10-all. The Seahawks regained control with a 3-0 spurt and became the first to reach 20 points, leading 20-15. Elon trimmed the margin to 21-17 on a service error, but UNCW closed the set on a 4-1 run to take a 25-18 win.
• The Phoenix jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the second set and extended the advantage to 13-6 following a kill from Lindsey Harris. Elon led by as many as seven at 15-8 before a 4-0 UNCW run forced a Phoenix timeout at 15-12. After the break, Elon responded to push its lead to 20-14, but the Seahawks rallied to pull within one at 22-21, prompting another timeout from the Maroon and Gold. Kills from Carlsen and Rucker brought Elon to set point, and despite UNCW cutting the deficit to one at 24-23, Carlsen sealed the frame with a kill to even the match at 1-1.
• Elon took a 7-4 edge early in the third before UNCW used a 5-1 stretch to move ahead 9-8. The teams traded points until the Phoenix went on a 3-0 run to take an 18-17 lead, forcing a Seahawks timeout. Elon extended its margin to 20-17 before another UNCW timeout helped the visitors regroup. The Seahawks surged ahead 21-20 with a 4-0 run, but Elon tied the set at 22-all and, after one more UNCW set-point opportunity, closed on a 4-0 run to take a 26-24 comeback win and a 2-1 match lead.
• The Phoenix broke an 8-8 tie in the fourth and became the first to reach double digits at 10-8. Sewell's kill extended the advantage to 15-11 before a 3-0 UNCW run made it 15-14. The Seahawks stayed within one at 16-15 until a 3-0 Elon run pushed the lead to 19-15, prompting a timeout from UNCW. The Phoenix held off one more rally, finishing the match with a decisive 6-1 run for a 25-18 win and the 3-1 match victory.

 
NOTES AND STATS

• Sewell surpassed her previous season high of 10 kills, set against Coastal Carolina earlier this year, marking her second double-digit kill performance of the season.
• Elon totaled eight blocks to UNCW's six. Cameron Lanier led the Phoenix with four total blocks, while Rucker added three.
• April Rice directed the offense with 26 assists, and Kayla Palmer added 19.

Elon has now won three straight against its in-state rival and eight of the last 10 meetings overall.
 
UP NEXT

• The Phoenix and Seahawks will meet again Sunday in a 3 p.m. rematch at Schar Center. Elon will celebrate Senior Day, honoring Simrin Carlsen, Lindsey Harris and Clara Simmons.

 
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