ELON – The Elon University volleyball team closed out its CAA-opening weekend with its second sweep of Hampton, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-12), on Saturday at Schar Center.
 
Elon (3-8, 2-0 CAA) hit .327 overall while tallying 44 kills and seven service aces. Simrin Carlsen led a balanced attack with eight kills on a .375 hitting percentage. Kayla Palmer had 21 assists, April Rice added 20 and Clara Simmons served a career-high four aces.
 
Hampton (1-10, 0-2 CAA) was held to a .075 hitting percentage in the match. Katerina Pappa had six kills to lead the Pirates.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• The teams were tied 10-10 in the opening set before Elon used a 4-1 run to go ahead 14-11. Hampton cut the deficit to one, but the Phoenix answered with another 4-1 stretch to lead 18-14, aided by two Simmons aces. Elon extended the advantage to 22-17 and held on for a 25-20 win.
• Thanks to a pair of Carlsen kills, Elon raced out to an 8-4 advantage in set two, forcing a Hampton timeout. Another kill by Carlsen along with a service ace by Catherine Rucker gave the hosts a 10-5 lead. The Pirates responded with a 6-2 run, closing in within one to force a Phoenix timeout up 12-11. Hampton kept up with the Phoenix, trailing 19-18 after a Phoenix error, but Elon won the race to 20 after reeling off three straight to go ahead 22-18. That momentum would carry the Maroon and Gold to a 25-19 win in set two for the 2-0 lead.
• The Phoenix dominated set three, jumping out to an 8-1 lead after a block by Catherine Rucker and Lindsey Harris. Hampton pulled within 12-8, but a 6-0 Elon run pushed the margin to 21-10. The Phoenix sealed the sweep with a 25-12 win.

 
NOTES AND STATS

• Palmer's 21 assists were one shy of her career high of 22, set last year against Southern Miss.
• Caroline Berlekamp had seven kills on nine swings (.667). Cameron Lanier and Rucker each added six kills, while Anna Sewell finished with five kills on five attempts.
• Carlsen and Shannon O'Laughlin tied for the team lead with nine digs. Rookie Dani Wallace posted a season-best seven digs.
• Elon improved to 17-1 all-time against Hampton, including 8-0 as CAA opponents.

 
UP NEXT

• The Phoenix concludes its homestand next Wednesday, hosting North Carolina Central. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will stream on FloCollege.

 
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