ELON – The Elon University volleyball team (3-8) hosts North Carolina Central (2-7) on Wednesday and travels to Radford (3-9) on Saturday to close its nonconference schedule.
 
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

• Wednesday, Sept. 24 – vs. North Carolina Central (at Elon) at 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 27 – at Radford (at Radford) at 4 p.m.

 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX

• Live Stats: Statbroadcast (vs. NC Central) | Sidearmstats (at Radford)
• Watch: FloCollege (vs. NC Central) | ESPN+ (at Radford)

 
SERIES HISTORIES

• NC Central: Elon holds a 31-5 all-time advantage over its intrastate foe dating back to 1976. The Phoenix earned a five-set victory last season over the Eagles, extending its winning streak to 25 matches over NC Central.
• Radford: The Highlanders hold the upper hand in the series over the Phoenix, leading 15-8 in the all-time meetings going back to 1989. Saturday will be the first matchup between the two schools since 2015 when Radford took a 3-2 win on its home court. Elon's last win in the series came in 2013 also in five sets.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• Elon opened CAA play with back-to-back sweeps of Hampton last Friday and Saturday. It marked the program's first 2-0 start to league play since 2022 and the first time ever the Phoenix began CAA play with consecutive sweeps.
• Elon swung .354 in its two matches and averaged 15.17 kills per set. That hitting percentage was the best in the CAA in the past week with the Phoenix also pacing the league in kills per set and assists per set (14.33).
• Simrin Carlsen had 20 kills versus the Pirates, averaging 3.33 kills per set. The graduate student also paced the Maroon and Gold in digs with 19 at 3.17 digs per set. She had her fourth double-double of the season in Elon's opening match win with 12 kills and 10 digs.
• Setters Kayla Palmer and April Rice nearly matched each other in controlling the Phoenix offense. Palmer registered 40 assists (6.67 assists per set) and Rice accounted for 39 (6.50 assists per set) versus the Pirates.
• Clara Simmons added six service aces from last weekend including setting a new career-high with four in the Elon's game two win.

 
ELON AT A GLANCE

• Elon is hitting .158 this season while averaging 11.4 kills per set. The Maroon and Gold is also averaging 10.5 assists per set.
• Cameron Lanier reached the 100 kills plateau on the season versus Hampton, leading the Phoenix. The Chapel Hill native is averaging 2.86 kills per set and 3.13 points per set to lead Elon in both categories.
• Carlsen is second on the team with 80 kills while averaging 2.35 kills per set. The Edison, New Jersey, native surpassed 1,100 career kills versus the Pirates and is in the top-10 of the CAA in digs per set at 3.56.
• Rice leads the Phoenix with 229 total assists on the season, averaging 6.03 assists per set. She is currently seventh in the CAA in that category. Palmer is second on the team with 113 assists at 4.35 assists per set.
• Shannon O'Laughlin is the Phoenix's overall leader in dug attacks with 129. The junior is averaging 3.39 digs per set from her libero position.
• The Phoenix is in its 54^th season of volleyball and the 27^th 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, New York, 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 NC CENTRAL

• The Eagles are 2-7 on the season after dropping a match at UNC Asheville last Tuesday. NC Central is on a current five-match losing streak and will face Radford on Monday before playing at Elon.
• NC Central has a hitting percentage of .177 while averaging 11.8 kills and 10.7 assists per set. Four players are averaging over two kills per set with junior outside hitter Kamren Harper averaging 3.94 kills per set followed by sophomore Leanna Beaty at 2.67. Senior Tayah Little leads the team with a .545 attack percentage.
• Jonathan Paulk is in his first season as the head coach at NC Central. Paulk previously served as an assistant coach for the Eagles from 2016-18.

 
SCOUTING RADFORD

• Radford sits at 3-9 on the season going into the week. The Highlanders are coming off an upset 3-0 win at Virginia Tech in their most recent match and will host NC Central on Monday and Big South opponent High Point on Friday before facing Elon.
• The Highlanders are swinging .177 percent of their attacks while recording 10.8 kills per set. Three players are averaging over two kills per set with senior Rylee Sloss pacing the squad at 2.28 kills per set. Freshman Olivia Ryno is next at 2.19 kills per set while sophomore Aubrey Hatch is the third player averaging over two kills per set at 2.08. Junior middle blocker Gabriela Smolenska headlines the Radford defense with her 36.0 blocks and 1.16 blocks per set.
• Savanna Hammond is in her second season leading the Radford volleyball program. Hammond previously spent time at Division II Bluefield State where the Big Blue earned a 53-57 record including Bluefield State's first-ever national championship title in 2022.

 
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

• The Phoenix returns to CAA play, heading to Hofstra on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 4-5. Both matches will stream on FloCollege.

 
STAY POSTED

• For further coverage of Elon volleyball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonVB) and Instagram (@ElonVB).