ELON – The Elon University volleyball team dropped a four-set match (25-10, 16-25, 20-25, 20-25) to Coppin State in its season opener and its first contest of the Aggie/Phoenix Invitational on Friday at Schar Center.
 
Elon (0-1) was led offensively by senior Clara Simmons, who tied her career high with 15 kills. Graduate transfer Simrin Carlsen added a double-double with 11 kills and a team-high 14 digs in her Elon debut, while freshman April Rice recorded 29 assists for the Phoenix.
 
Coppin State (1-0) had two players reach double-digit kills. Takenya Stafford led the way with a match-high 19 kills and added 12 digs, while Kayden Cupid contributed 10 kills. The Eagles hit .229 as a team.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• Elon started strong in the opening set, taking an 8-3 lead after a 5-0 run forced a Coppin State timeout. The Eagles pulled within three at 9-6, but Elon responded with a 6-1 spurt to go ahead 15-7. Coppin State trimmed the score to 15-9 after back-to-back kills, but the Phoenix closed out the set on a 10-1 run to win 25-10.
• The Phoenix jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the second set after a Carlsen kill. Coppin State rallied to tie the score three times before taking its first lead at 10-9 on a service ace, prompting an Elon timeout. The Eagles continued their surge with a 10-2 run to build an 18-11 advantage in which Elon could not recover as the match was leveled at 1-1.
• The third set was tight early before Elon used back-to-back kills from Cameron Lanier and Simmons to pull ahead 18-12. Coppin State answered with a 9-1 run to take a 21-19 lead, forcing an Elon timeout. Rice briefly halted the momentum with a kill, but the Eagles closed the frame with four straight points for a 25-20 win.
• In the fourth set, Coppin State strung together a 4-0 run to lead 8-5. Elon stayed close, cutting the deficit to 11-9 on a Simmons kill, but the Eagles pushed ahead with a 5-1 run for a 16-10 lead. Elon got within five points late but dropped the set 25-20 and the match 3-1. 

NOTES & STATS

• Tonight was the first meeting between Elon and Coppin State since 2001 and the third all-time.
• Elon hit .429 in the opening set but was held under .120 in the final three frames.
• Simmons matched her career high in kills (15), matching her best total from Sept. 25, 2022, against William & Mary.
• Shannon O'Laughlin finished with 12 digs, one shy of her career high. Elon totaled 53 digs as a team.
• The Phoenix recorded seven service aces, led by Casey Brower with four. Kyla Johnson added two service aces and a team-high three blocks. 

UP NEXT
Elon returns to the court Saturday night to host Bethune-Cookman to close out the Aggie/Phoenix Invitational at 6 p.m.
 
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