DAVIDSON – The Elon University volleyball team split its matches on the final day of the Wildcat Classic, highlighted by a 3-1 victory over Delaware State in its nightcap Saturday at John M. Belk Arena.
 
Elon (1-5) opened the day with a 3-0 loss to Coastal Carolina but bounced back against Delaware State to give first-year head coach Matt Troy his first win with the program.
 
Cameron Lanier led the Phoenix with 17 kills in the win over the Hornets while hitting .343 in the contest. Simrin Carlsen added 12 kills and 13 digs for her third double-double of the season. Shannon O'Laughlin dug 17 attacks and contributed with seven assists in the victory over Delaware State, while setters April Rice and Kayla Palmer had 19 and 18 assists, respectively.
 
THE RUNDOWN (Coastal Carolina)

• The Chanticleers opened the first set with an 8-1 run and extended their lead to 20-5. Elon answered with a 5-0 spurt to cut the deficit in half, but CCU closed out the frame 25-14.
• In set two, Elon cut an early 7-2 deficit to 11-8 after settling in. The Phoenix stayed within 18-16 on a Catherine Rucker service ace, but Coastal Carolina closed on a 7-1 surge to take the set 25-17 and a 2-0 match lead.
• The Phoenix erased a 6-2 hole in the third set to pull within 7-6 after kills by Allie Schultz and Caroline Berlekamp. Coastal Carolina built a 19-13 advantage, but Elon fought back to cut its deficit to one, 20-19. CCU reached match point at 24-21 before Elon forced multiple ties. The Chanticleers eventually held off the comeback, securing the sweep 26-24.

THE RUNDOWN (Delaware State)

• Elon faced an 8-4 setback in the opening set before coming back to trail by one, 9-8, after a 4-1 run. The Hornets however answered with a 10-2 spurt that gave them a 19-10 advantage. The Phoenix managed to trim its deficit to three, 24-21, going off a 4-0 run with Delaware State at match point, but the Hornets closed out set one with a kill and the 25-21 win.
• The Phoenix got off to a strong start in the second set, taking a 6-1 lead. Cameron Lanier had two kills during that stretch as Elon pushed its advantage to 11-6 on a Clara Simmons kill. The Hornets however came back to take a 12-11 lead after a 6-0 run and went up by two, 15-13 after a kill. Elon responded with an 8-0 run to go back in front, 21-15, after a couple of service aces by Simrin Carlsen. Delaware State made things interesting down the stretch, coming within one of the Phoenix, 22-21, but the Phoenix held on to level the match with the 25-21 set two win.
• Elon jumped out to a 7-3 advantage in the third set and held control until the Hornets overtook the Phoenix with a combination of a kill and an attack error. Delaware State pushed its lead to 18-15 before Elon rallied four straight points to retake the lead at 19-18. The Phoenix rode its momentum to match point with a 24-22 lead, but the Hornets would not go away as both teams went back and forth in the extended set. After a kill by DSU tied the game at 28-all, the Phoenix prevailed on a couple of Hornets' errors to move ahead 2-1 in the 30-28 win.
• The fourth set was tightly contested between the two squads. Lanier and Rucker gave the Phoenix an early spark as Elon build an 6-4 advantage. Delaware State even the frame at 9-all before the Phoenix regrouped for a 20-17 lead. The Hornets made one last push to pull within one, 23-22, but a kill from Rucker along with a DSU error closed out the 25-23 set win and match victory for the Maroon and Gold.

UP NEXT
Elon continues its road trip next week at the Clemson/Wofford Tournament, Sept. 11-13. The Phoenix will open against the Tigers on Thursday at 6 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
 
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