ELON – The Elon University volleyball team opens CAA play this week, as the Phoenix (1-8) hosts Hampton (1-8) on Friday and Saturday at Schar Center.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 19 – vs. Hampton at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20 – vs. Hampton at 2 p.m.
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
SERIES HISTORY
- Elon and Hampton have met 16 times on the volleyball court, with the Phoenix holding a 15-1 all-time advantage dating back to 1993
- Since becoming CAA opponents in 2022, Elon has won all six matchups against the Pirates, including a 2-0 record at Schar Center. All but one of those wins have come in straight sets.
- Last season, Elon swept Hampton on the road in both matches. Cameron Lanier paced the Phoenix with 21 kills (3.50 per set) while hitting .425. Caroline Berlekamp and Catherine Rucker added 11 kills apiece and combined for 17 blocks.
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon is coming off a tough outing at the Clemson/Wofford Tournament last weekend. The Phoenix dropped three-set matches to Clemson and Wofford before falling 3-1 at USC Upstate.
- Lanier tallied 26 kills across the weekend, while Clara Simmons added 20. April Rice led the Phoenix with 53 assists (5.30 per set) and recorded her first career double-double with 34 assists and 13 digs at USC Upstate.
- Defensively, Rucker had six blocks at the tournament while adding 13 kills on the offensive end. Shannon O'Laughlin dug out 32 attacks (3.20 digs per set) while Simrin Carlsen added 26 digs.
ELON AT A GLANCE
- Elon is hitting .122 this season while averaging 10.7 kills per set. The Maroon and Gold is also averaging 9.78 assists per set.
- Lanier is averaging 2.90 kills per set from her outside hitter position to pace the Phoenix. The Chapel Hill native is also averaging 3.22 points per set to lead the team. Simmons is second on the squad with 65 kills on the season while averaging 2.50 kills per set.
- Rice leads the Phoenix with 190 total assists on the season, averaging 5.94 assists per set. She is currently eighth in the CAA in that category. Sophomore Kayla Palmer is second on the team with 73 assists at 3.65 assists per set.
- Carlsen is averaging 3.64 digs per set on the season, ranking in the top-10 of the league. O'Laughlin is not far behind, averaging 3.53 digs per set from her libero position.
- The Phoenix is in its 54th season of volleyball and the 27th campaign at the Division I level in 2025.
- Elon retained 10 letterwinners from this past season, including three starters. The Phoenix welcomes five newcomers to the fold in 2025 with four first-year athletes and one transfer.
- Among the top returners for the Phoenix include junior outside hitter Cameron Lanier. The Chapel Hill native is Elon's returning leader in in total kills (245) and kills per set (2.72) with a .236 attack percentage.
- Lanier earned 2025 Preseason All-CAA laurels with teammates Caroline Berlekamp and Catherine Rucker also getting preseason league recognition. Berlekamp, a junior middle blocker, recorded 128 kills last season while leading the team with 19 solo blocks and 101 total blocks.
- Rucker was one of two Phoenix athletes to earn All-CAA postseason honors with her All-Rookie Team selection. The Chapel Hill native and middle blocker registered 88 kills and posted a .330 attack percentage.
- Sophomore setter Kayla Palmer is Elon's returning leader in assists with 251, averaging 3.80 assists per set. The Ithaca, N.Y., native had 13 double-digit assist efforts during her rookie campaign, including four matches with 20 or more. She also recorded three double-doubles.
- Elon returns 61% of its kills, 25% of its assists, 35% of its digs and 62% of its points scored from 2024.
SCOUTING HAMPTON
- Hampton dropped both matches at the Navy Invitational last weekend, falling in four sets to Gardner-Webb before losing in three to the host Midshipmen. The Pirates have lost four straight since a five-set win against Le Moyne on Sept. 6.
- As a team, Hampton is hitting .096 with 8.9 kills per set. Freshman outside hitter Racquel Frazier leads the Pirates with 97 kills (3.13 per set) and 106.0 points (3.42 per set).
- Sophomore setter Morgan Warren is averaging 6.70 assists per set and leads the team in digs with 58. The Austin, Texas, native also has six service aces.
- Head coach Ronaldo Pacheco is in his second season at the helm of the Hampton volleyball program. Prior to joining the Pirates, Pacheco served as the associate head coach at Coastal Carolina.
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 nine more matches this season at the facility with admission being free for all fans.
UP NEXT
- Elon is back at home next Wednesday, hosting North Carolina Central. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will stream on FloCollege.
STAY POSTED
- For further coverage of Elon volleyball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonVB) and Instagram (@ElonVB).
-- ELON --
