Elon University Athletics

BOSTON – The Elon volleyball team completed a weekend sweep of Northeastern with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 25-21) victory on Saturday afternoon at the Cabot Center.
 
The Phoenix improved to 8-10 overall and 5-3 in CAA play, while the Huskies fell to 4-12 overall and 2-6 in league action.    
 
Elon turned in its strongest offensive performance of the season, establishing season highs with 62 kills, 55 assists and a .364 hitting percentage. Cameron Lanier led the Maroon and Gold with a season-high-tying 17 kills, committing only four errors on 27 attacks for a .481 hitting percentage.
 
Anna Sewell added 15 kills, while Catherine Rucker turned in an especially efficient performance with 11 kills and no attack errors on 18 swings for a .611 hitting percentage. Rucker's 11 kills matched her career high, while her seven total blocks also matched the career high she established in Friday's win over Northeastern. She added three service aces.
 
Kayla Palmer dished out a season-high 27 assists, finishing two shy of her career high of 29, while April Rice added 22 assists. Allie Schultz contributed nine kills on a .350 hitting percentage and set a career high with 13 digs.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• Elon scored the first two points of the opening set behind a Sewell kill and a Rucker service ace before Northeastern answered. The Phoenix later used a 4-0 run, highlighted by a Caroline Berlekamp-Rice block and a Lanier kill, to take a 7-2 advantage. The Huskies chipped away and eventually tied the frame at 10-all before the teams continued to trade points into the media timeout. Elon then created separation, turning a 15-all tie into a 20-16 advantage behind kills from Lanier and Rucker and blocks from Rice-Rucker and Schultz-Rucker. Northeastern pulled within three at 22-19, but Sewell delivered two of Elon's final three kills to close out the 25-20 victory.
• The teams traded points early in the second set before Elon used a 3-0 run, highlighted by a Berlekamp-Sewell block and a Schultz service ace, to take a 6-3 advantage. Northeastern pulled within one at 8-7, but the Phoenix answered by scoring five of the next six points. Palmer and Lanier recorded service aces during the stretch, while Lanier added a kill to extend the lead to 13-8. The Huskies later trimmed the deficit to 14-12, but Schultz answered with a kill to send Elon into the media timeout ahead 15-12. The Phoenix pushed its advantage to 19-14 behind kills from Dani Wallace, Lanier and Rice before Northeastern made another late push to pull within three at 21-18. Elon responded by scoring four of the final five points, with a Sewell kill finishing off the 25-19 victory.
• The third set featured eight ties and three lead changes. Elon built an early 12-7 advantage behind kills from Lanier, Sewell and Rucker, along with blocks from Rucker-Lanier and Sewell-Rucker. Northeastern responded with a 6-1 run to tie the set at 13-all and eventually carried a 15-14 advantage into the media timeout. The Huskies stretched the lead to 21-17 before Rucker helped spark a late Phoenix rally. With Elon trailing 23-20, Rucker delivered back-to-back service aces to pull the Phoenix within one. Berlekamp then recorded a kill and a Northeastern attack error tied the frame at 24-all, but the Huskies scored the final two points to earn a 26-24 victory and extend the match.
• Elon responded quickly in the fourth set, using kills from Rucker and Sewell and a Schultz-Berlekamp block to build a 5-1 advantage. A Berlekamp kill and a Murphy service ace later extended the margin to 10-4. Northeastern worked back within three at 12-9, but Lanier helped the Phoenix rebuild its cushion with a kill and service ace as Elon carried a 15-10 lead into the media timeout. The Huskies made one more push and trimmed the deficit to 17-15, but Sewell and Lanier answered with consecutive kills before a Rucker solo block pushed the advantage to 21-16. Lanier and Schultz added late kills, and Rucker finished off the match with a kill for the 25-21 victory.

 
UP NEXT

• The Phoenix returns to Schar Center to host William & Mary for a pair of matches on Oct. 16-17. Both contests will stream on FloCollege.

 
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