ELON, N.C. – With three games remaining in the regular season, including just two in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play, the Elon women's lacrosse team returns to Rudd Field on Saturday for a pivotal showdown against Towson. The Phoenix (7-6, 4-2 CAA) sit in a tight race for the final CAA Tournament spot and enters the weekend in a win-and-in scenario. A victory would clinch the fourth and final postseason seed for Elon, while a loss would keep the door open for Hofstra (3-3) or Towson (2-4) heading into the final week of league play.

Towson (6-7, 2-4 CAA) remains in postseason contention but must win to stay alive. The Tigers are coming off a narrow 16-15 home loss to Delaware, in which the Blue Hens used a four-goal fourth quarter to hold off a second-straight seven-point performance from senior Milana Zizakovic.

Elon is looking to build on its momentum following a gritty 15-14 road win at William & Mary. The Phoenix split their two-game CAA weekend, falling to Stony Brook on Friday night before bouncing back against the Tribe to remain in control of its postseason destiny. Sammy Fisher led the charge against William & Mary, tallying a career-high eight points and four assists along with four goals. Her eight points are tied for the second-most in a single game in program history, while her four assists match the fourth-most. The Phoenix erased a three-goal second-half deficit in the win for the second time this season.

HOW TO FOLLOW

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SCOUTING TOWSON

• Towson enters the weekend with a 6-7 overall record, including a 2-4 mark in CAA play. The Tigers' conference wins have come against Campbell and William & Mary.
• Towson has been efficient in transition, ranking No. 25 nationally in clear percentage at 90.9%. The Tigers also take care of the ball, committing a conference-low 13.15 turnovers per game.
• Freshman goalkeeper Jenna Cardeno has impressed in her debut season, ranking second in the CAA in saves per game (10.31) and third in save percentage (.473).
• Offensively, the Tigers are led by senior Milana Zizakovic, who ranks fourth in the conference in points per game (3.92). Zizakovic is coming off back-to-back seven-point performances against William & Mary and Delaware, and she has tallied five or more points in her last four games.
• Head Coach Kristen Carr is in her second season at the helm for Towson. Since taking over at Towson, Carr holds a 13-16 overall record with a 6-8 mark in CAA play.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TOWSON

• Saturday marks the 12th all-time meeting between Elon and Towson, with the Tigers holding a 10-2 advantage in the series. Both of Elon's wins over Towson have come in overtime.
• Elon claimed a dramatic 12-11 overtime win last season in Towson, a victory that clinched the final CAA Tournament spot. Elon and Towson entered the final game of the regular season tied for fourth in the league standings. Sammy Fisher delivered the game-winner just 58 seconds into overtime off a feed from Mia Zebley, who recorded a career-high seven points and tied the program's single-game assist record with five.
• The teams last met at Rudd Field in 2018, when the sixth-ranked Tigers earned a 10-4 victory. Towson holds a 2-0 record in games played in Elon.

BREAKING DOWN THE CAA

• Four teams will qualify for the CAA Tournament, with the semifinals set for May 1 and the championship on May 3. Both rounds will be hosted by the No. 1 overall seed.
• Three spots in the CAA Tournament have been clinched: Stony Brook (6-0), Drexel (6-0), and Delaware (5-2)
• Currently, Drexel and Stony Brook remain the only unbeaten teams at 6-0 each. The two squads are set to face off on Friday, April 19 at 6 p.m. in a potential battle for the top seed and hosting rights.
• With a win over Towson, Elon would clinch the final spot in the CAA Tournament. A loss would keep the door open for Hofstra (3-3) or Towson (2-4) heading into the final week of regular season play.

CAA HONORS

• Sammy Fisher was named the 2024-25 CAA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, boasting a 3.95 GPA and leading the team in scoring with 49 points.
• Reagan Kuehn earned CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week on March 17 after totaling seven caused turnovers and nine ground balls across games against High Point and Monmouth.
• Danielle Swietoniowski was named CAA Rookie of the Week on March 24 after posting a five-point outing (3G, 2A) in a win over Hofstra.
• Lillian Austin took home CAA Co-Rookie of the Week on March 31, recording her first career hat trick in a 13-10 win over Campbell.

MJ IN THE DRAW CIRCLE

• Sophomore draw specialist MJ Santa Barbara was named a preseason All-American after bursting onto the scene with a CAA record 151 draw controls a year ago. However, she missed Elon's first six games of the 2025 regular season due to injury. Since her return, she has barely skipped a beat.
• In her first game back, she tied her own single-game program record with 15 draw controls at High Point — a mark she originally set in last year's win over Monmouth. The 15 draws are tied for the most in a single game in the CAA this season, alongside Drexel's Anna Maria Gragnani and Delaware's Ella Rishko.
• Santa Barbara had 12 draw controls in the win over Campbell, breaking the school's career draw control record, in just her 21st career game, and giving her an even 200 for her career.
• Since that point, she has increased her draw control total to 228, which ranks seventh in CAA history. She is four behind Hofstra's Darcie Smith (2017-21) for sixth and 17 behind James Madison's Haley Warden (2015-2018) for fifth.
• Since her return, Elon has posted a 60.7% draw control win rate (122-79), a notable improvement from the 49.3% rate across the first six games without her. That 60.7% mark would rank ninth nationally. Loyola Maryland leads the country at .711 and James Madison follows at .656.
• Although she does not qualify for national leaderboards due to missed games (players must compete in 75% of team contests), Santa Barbara is averaging 11.00 draw controls per game, a figure that would rank fourth nationally. James Madison's Madison Epke leads the nation with 12.69 

LOOKING BACK TO LOOK AHEAD

• 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.

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 12th season at the helm of the Elon lacrosse program in 2025 as the only head coach in the program's history. He is 80-92 in the first 12 years of the program and has a career head coaching mark of 152-134, 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 returned 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 – 3. Sammy Fisher 145, 4. Cierra Hopson 127, t9. Anna Hackett 71
Goals – 2. Sammy Fisher 118, 3. Cierra Hopson 93, 7. Anna Hackett 64
Assists – 3. Cierra Hopson 34, 6. Sammy Fisher 27, 8. Mia Zebley 22
Shots – 2. Sammy Fisher 281, 3. Cierra Hopson 217, 9. Anna Hackett 139
Free Position Goals – 4. Anna Hackett 22, 8. Sammy Fisher 13, t10. Cierra Hopson 11, t10. Mia Zebley 11
Ground Balls – 8. Caitlin Walsh 67, 10. Reagan Kuehn 62
Draw Controls – 1. MJ Santa Barbara 228, 4. Sammy Fisher 138
Caused Turnovers – 7. Reagan Kuehn 47, 8. Jessie Penner 39 t9. Brooke Scheuermann 37
Games Played – t10. Cierra Hopson 62, 11. Sammy Fisher 61
Games Started – 8. Sammy Fisher 58, 10. Cierra Hopson 52
Saves – 2. Caitlin Walsh 317, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 79
Save Percentage – 4. Caitlin Walsh .376, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu .329
GAA – 5. Caitlin Walsh 13.20, 7. Chloe Herghelegiu 14.65
Goalie Minutes – 2. Caitlin Walsh 2395:43, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 659:26
Goalie Wins – 2. Caitlin Walsh 18, t4. Chloe Herghelegiu 4
 
SINGLE-SEASON MARKS

• With three games remaining in the regular season, Elon is moving into the top 10 in some single-season marks.

Points – t4. Sammy Fisher 49
Goals – 8. Sammy Fisher 36
Assists – t8. Sammy Fisher 13
Shots – 6. Sammy Fisher 88
Draw Controls – 3. MJ Santa Barbara 77
Caused Turnovers – 6. Reagan Kuehn 23
Saves – 10. Caitlin Walsh 78
Goals Against Average – 9. Caitlin Walsh 12.52
Goalie Minutes – 7. Caitlin Walsh 718:56
 
SINGLE-SEASON CONFERENCE MARKS

• With two conference games remaining, Elon is moving into the top five marks in program history for conference only stats. 

Points – 1. Sammy Fisher 25, t4. Ana Lee Vandiver 21
Goals – t3. Sammy Fisher 17, 4. Ana Lee Vandiver 16
Shots – t2. Sammy Fisher 42, t5. Ana Lee Vandiver 37
Draw Controls – 2. MJ Santa Barbara 62
Caused Turnovers – t2. Reagan Kuehn 9, t6. Eliza Ritter 8
 
SINGLE-SEASON FRESHMEN CONFERENCE MARKS

• With two conference games remaining, Elon is moving into the top five marks in program history for conference only stats by freshmen.

Assists – 3. Danielle Swietoniowski 6
Free position goals – t6. Danielle Swietoniowski 2, t6. Addie Gilner 2
 
SINGLE-SEASON TEAM MARKS

• With three games remaining in the regular season, Elon is moving into the top five marks in program history for team stats.

Assists – t3. Elon 61
Clear Percentage – t3. Elon .883 (181/205)
 
SINGLE-SEASON CONFERENCE TEAM MARKS

• With two CAA games remaining, Elon is moving into the top five marks in program history for team stats. 

Wins – t2. Elon 4
Points – 2. Elon 109
Goals – 2. Elon 70
Assists – 1. Elon 39
Caused Turnovers – 4. Elon 45
Draw Controls – 2. Elon 99
Clear Percentage – 4. Elon .869 (86/99)
 
AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS

• Elon ranks among the national top 50 in the following team and national top 50 in the following individual statistical categories:

Team Rankings
Draw Control Percentage – 26. Elon .559
Draw Controls/Game – 35. Elon 14.92
 
Individual Rankings
Caused Turnovers/Game – t36. Reagan Kuehn 1.77
Shots/Game – t46. Sammy Fisher 6.77
Shots on Goal/Game – t32. Sammy Fisher 5.46
 
AMONG THE CAA LEADERS

• Elon ranks among the CAA top five in the following team stats and among the top 10 in the following individual stats (prior to April 18)

 
Team Rankings
Caused Turnovers/Game – 4. Elon 8.46
Draw Control Percentage – 1. Elon .584
Draw Controls/Game – 2. Elon 14.92
Shot Percentage – 4. Elon .408
Shots On Goal/Game – 5. Elon 20.15
Woman-Down Goals/Game – 5. Elon .08
Woman-Up Goals/Game – 2. Elon 2.00
Fewest Turnovers/Game – 4. Elon 14.38
 
Individual Rankings
Draw Controls/Game – 1. MJ Santa Barbara 11.00, 8. Sammy Fisher 3.92
Caused Turnovers/Game – 4. Reagan Kuehn 1.77
Goals/Game – 6. Sammy Fisher 2.77
Goals Against Average – 7. Caitlin Walsh 12.52
Points/Game – 5. Sammy Fisher 3.77
Save Percentage – 9. Caitlin Walsh .342
Saves/Game – 8. Caitlin Walsh 6.00
Shots/Game – 3. Sammy Fisher 6.77, 10. Ana Lee Vandiver 5.54