Elon, N.C. – After having its last two games postponed due to inclement weather, the Elon women's lacrosse team is set to host Virginia Tech Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. The game was moved up a day to avoid inclement weather.
 
Elon played its season opener against Duke back on Feb. 7 but then had home games against Queens (Feb. 12) and East Carolina (Feb. 15) postponed due to weather. By the time Tuesday's game gets started, Elon will have had an 11-day break, the longest for the program since an identical 11-day break in 2022.
 
Tuesday's game will be broadcast on FloCollege, live from Rudd Field.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• Live stats are available by CLICKING HERE
• Watch the game on FloCollege by CLICKING HERE
• Follow the official social media accounts of Elon Lacrosse:
  • Twitter - @ElonWLax
  • Instagram - @ElonWLax

 
THE SKINNY ON ELON

• Elon went 9-8 in 2024 and posted a 5-3 record in the CAA, qualifying for the CAA Tournament semifinals. That record was a five-win improvement over 2023 both overall and in conference.
• The Phoenix returns seven of its eight leading scorers from a year ago, including Sammy Fisher, who paced Elon with 37 goals and 44 points. She was a preseason All-CAA pick.
• Sophomore Reagan Kuehn is the headliner on defense, earning All-CAA honorable mention status in the preseason. She had 36 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers a year ago.
• MJ Santa Barbara, one of the best in the country in the draw circle, is just a sophomore and earned preseason All-American status by USA Lacrosse. She broke Elon's single-game and single-season draw control record last year, as well as the CAA's single-season draw control mark. Her 8.88 draw controls per game were most in the country for a freshman and ranked No. 7 nationally.
• While one game is hardly enough to consider national stats, Elon's 16.0 caused turnovers is fifth nationally.

 
SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH

• Virginia Tech is 2-1 on the season, which includes a 15-11 loss to No. 18 James Madison. The Hokies defeated VCU 15-7 and Mercer 11-7.
• It is early in the season, but Virginia Tech's .520 shot percentage ranks No. 14 nationally. The Hokies have struggled though in maintaining possession, turning it over 18.5 times per contest. Virginia Tech also has just a .439 draw control percentage.
• Junior Lauren Render's 11 goals on the season are fourth-most in the country, while senior Maura O'Malley's six assists are No. 7. Render is also fifth nationally with 13 points. In goal, graduate student Aaliyah Jones has made 23 saves, fifth in the country.
• As a team, Virginia Tech was picked to finish ninth out of 12 teams in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Hokies did not have a player on the Preseason All-ACC Team.
• Kristen Skiera enters her fourth season as head coach at Virginia Tech. She is 30-28 in her time leading the Hokies.

 
SERIES HISTORY VS. VIRGINIA TECH

• Virginia Tech leads the all-time series between these two programs 8-1, including a 17-7 win a year ago.
• Elon's lone win was a 13-12 overtime victory over then-No. 19 Virginia Tech in 2017 in Blacksburg. It was Elon's third all-time win over a ranked foe.
• Virginia Tech has won all four contests played in Elon, most recently a 17-11 victory in 2023.

 
WELCOME TO ELON

• Elon had a handful of strong debut performances against Duke in the season opener.
• Freshman Addie Gilner earned her first career goal in the third quarter. The score capped a three-goal flurry for the Phoenix.
• Transfer defender Eliza Ritter tied for team-high honors with three caused turnovers, adding a pair of ground balls in the contest. She was part of a 16-caused turnover performance that ranks fourth in a single-game in program history.
• Freshman Lillian Austin had four shots, a ground ball and a caused turnover.
• Freshman midfielder Arianna Kouchalakos had two ground balls and a shot on goal.
• Freshman attack Danielle Swietoniowski had four shots on goal and two free position shots.

 
ZEBLEY PICKS UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF

• Sophomore Mia Zebley closed her freshman season in impressive fashion and then began her sophomore campaign much the same way.
• Through the first 10 games of her freshman season in 2024, Zebley had 10 points. But she posted 10 goals and 10 assists (20 points) over the final five games of her freshman season. She had at least three points in each of those games.
• Against Duke in the season opener, she made it six consecutive games with at least three points, finishing with two goals and an assist.

 
VANDIVER MAKES IT FOUR STRAIGHT WITH A GOAL

• Ana Lee Vandiver ended the 2024 season with a goal in three straight games. She followed that with a hat trick in the season opener against Duke.
• Vandiver had a career-best six goals at VCU early in the 2024 season, but had just three goals over the next 10 games, until a flurry over the final three games of the campaign.
• In those final three games, she had two goals in the playoff-clinching win at Towson and a goal each against Delaware and Stony Brook.

 
PRESEASON AWARDS

• Sophomore MJ Santa Barbara was named honorable mention preseason All-America by USA Lacrosse as a draw control specialist. She is the first Elon player to earn preseason All-America status since Stephanie Asher was named honorable mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse in 2018.
• Senior Sammy Fisher was named to the preseason All-CAA Team as one of five attackers recognized. She led Elon with 37 goals and 44 points, adding 14 ground balls, 16 draw controls and five caused turnovers.
• Sophomore Reagan Kuehn was named honorable mention preseason All-CAA after leading Elon with 36 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers. She added a program record 11 caused turnovers in conference play and had at least one caused turnover in 11 straight games to open her collegiate career.

 
ABOUT THE COACHING STAFF

• Josh Hexter enters his 12^th season at the helm of the Elon lacrosse program in 2025 as the only head coach in the program's history. He is 79-91 in the first 12 years of the program and has a career head coaching mark of 151-133, which includes a 72-42 record in seven seasons at Bridgewater State.
• Assistant Coach Kelly Dowd is in her first season at Elon after two seasons as an assistant at Connecticut. She is a 2017 graduate of Queens University of Charlotte.
• Assistant Coach Katie Brodsky is also in her first season at Elon and most recently served as the lacrosse program head at Seattle Preparatory School. She is a 2023 graduate of Arizona State.

 
INTO THE RECORD BOOKS

• Elon returns three of its top seven goal scorers in program history, along with a wealth of elite statistical talent elsewhere. Listed below are the current student-athletes among the Phoenix's all-time top 10 career leaderboards:

 
Points – 4. Cierra Hopson 108, 6. Sammy Fisher 96, t9. Anna Hackett 71
Goals – t3. Cierra Hopson 83, 5. Sammy Fisher 82, 7. Anna Hackett 64
Assists – 5. Cierra Hopson 25, t10. Mia Zebley 15
Shots – 3. Sammy Fisher 194, 4. Cierra Hopson 184, 9. Anna Hackett 139
Free Position Goals – 4. Anna Hackett 22, t10. Cierra Hopson 10, t10. Sammy Fisher 10
Draw Controls – 3. MJ Santa Barbara 151, 5. Sammy Fisher 91
Saves – 3. Caitlin Walsh 246, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 73
Save Percentage – 4. Caitlin Walsh .385, 7. Chloe Herghelegiu .322
GAA – 5. Caitlin Walsh 13.58, 7. Chloe Herghelegiu 15.06
Goalie Minutes – 2. Caitlin Walsh 1736:47, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 597:30
Goalie Wins – 3. Caitlin Walsh 11, t4. Chloe Herghelegiu 4
 
AMONG THE TEAM NATIONAL LEADERS

• Elon ranks among the national top 25 in the following team statistical categories:

 
Caused Turnovers/Game – 5. 16.00
Fewest Turnovers/Game – 18. 12.00
 
AMONG THE INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL LEADERS

• Elon ranks among the national top 25 in the following individual statistical categories:

 
Caused Turnovers/Game – t17. Eliza Ritter 3.00, t17. Brooke Scheuermann 3.00
Free Position Percentage – t1. Lila Ceribelli 1.000, t1. Mia Zebley 1.000
Ground Balls/Game – 3. Caitlin Walsh 6.00
Shot Percentage – 17. Ana Lee Vandiver .750
 
UP NEXT

• Elon remains at home for the next two games, hosting VCU Saturday at noon before welcoming No. 11 Notre Dame to Rudd Field on Sunday, March 2 at 11:00 a.m.