ELON – The Elon volleyball team returns to Schar Center this weekend as the Phoenix (8-10, 5-3 CAA) hosts William & Mary (5-10, 1-5 CAA) for a two-match series beginning Friday.
 
WEEKEND SCHEDULE

• Friday, Oct. 16 – vs. William & Mary at 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 17 – vs. William & Mary at 2 p.m.

 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX

• Live Stats – StatBroadcast
• Watch – FloCollege

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Elon and William & Mary have met 26 times entering this weekend's series, with the all-time series deadlocked at 13-13. The Tribe has won five straight meetings, its longest winning streak in series history.
• The teams last met in 2024 at Schar Center, with William & Mary earning a five-set victory in the opener before taking the series finale in four sets. Then-sophomore Cameron Lanier totaled 16 kills against the Tribe, while Kayla Palmer added 12 assists during her freshman season.
• Elon's last win over the Tribe came on Sept. 24, 2022, when the Phoenix earned a 3-0 sweep at Schar Center. Elon owns a 7-3 home record against William & Mary and is 12-10 against the Tribe in conference matchups.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• Elon completed a road sweep at Northeastern last weekend, earning a pair of 3-1 victories over the Huskies to improve to 5-3 in CAA play.
• Lanier totaled 29 kills over the two matches, averaging 3.63 kills and 4.25 points per set. The senior ranked fourth in the CAA in kills per set and fifth in points per set during the week.
• Catherine Rucker had a strong all-around weekend, totaling 18 kills while hitting .438, six service aces and 14 blocks. Her .438 attack percentage ranked second in the CAA for the week, while her 1.75 blocks per set ranked third.
• The sweep marked Elon's first-ever victories at Northeastern and snapped a nine-match losing streak in the series. The Phoenix entered the weekend 0-10 all-time in Boston and had not defeated the Huskies since the 2019 CAA Tournament.

 
THE BIRDS ARE HOT

• The Phoenix opens the second half of its 16-match CAA schedule this weekend sitting fourth in the league standings at 5-3.
• Elon has won five of its last six CAA matches after opening conference play 0-2. The Phoenix's only loss during that stretch came against Stony Brook on Oct. 3.
• The five wins over the past six league matches mark Elon's best six-match CAA stretch since 2022. The Phoenix's five league victories also match the program's final conference win total from each of the past two seasons.
• Elon's 5-3 conference record matches its best start through eight CAA matches since 2021, equaling its 5-3 start in 2024.

 
PHOENIX BY THE NUMBERS

• Lanier leads Elon with 232 kills, averaging 3.52 per set to rank fifth in the CAA. She also ranks sixth in the conference at 4.04 points per set.
• Anna Sewell ranks second on the squad with 179 kills at 2.75 per set, while Rucker has added 111 kills and owns a team-best .322 attack percentage. Rucker ranks eighth in the CAA in hitting percentage.
• Rucker leads Elon with 64 total blocks, followed by Caroline Berlekamp with 63 and Allie Schultz with 51. Rucker is averaging a team-best 0.97 blocks per set.
• Palmer has a team-high 317 assists and 23 service aces, while April Rice has totaled 303 assists.
• Casey Brower leads the back row with 197 digs, averaging 2.98 per set to rank sixth in the CAA. Lindsey Murphy is second on the team with 143 digs.

 
MILESTONE WATCH

• Lanier surpassed 900 career kills during the Northeastern series and enters the weekend with 909 kills and 1,036 points. She is 91 kills shy of 1,000.
• Rice surpassed 800 career assists and enters the weekend with 821, while Palmer sits at 967, just 33 away from 1,000.
• Rucker has totaled 330 career kills, 184 blocks and 492 points, leaving her eight points away from the 500-point milestone.

 
SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY (5-10, 1-5 CAA)

• William & Mary enters the weekend at 5-10 overall and 1-5 in CAA play. The Tribe earned its lone league victory with a 3-1 win at Towson on Oct. 3 and is coming off a pair of losses against N.C. A&T.
• The Tribe went 12-15 overall in 2025 with a 7-9 record in CAA play. William & Mary was selected to finish eighth in the 2026 CAA Preseason Poll, one spot ahead of the Phoenix.
• Olivia Westfort leads William & Mary at the net, hitting .334 to rank seventh in the CAA. She has totaled 131 kills and also ranks among the league leaders with 1.00 block per set.
• Setter Cate Hatfield ranks third in the CAA with 8.17 assists per set, totaling 474 assists. Avery Horejsi leads the Tribe back row and ranks second in the conference with 4.02 digs per set, totaling 233.

 
ELON AT A GLANCE

• The Phoenix is in its 55th season of volleyball and 28th campaign at the Division I level in 2026.
• Elon retained 11 letterwinners from last season, including several players who started at least one match. The Phoenix also welcomes four first-year athletes into the fold for 2026.
• Elon returns 54% of its kills, 98% of its assists, 66% of its digs and 57% of its points scored from 2025.
• Head coach Matt Troy is in his second season at the helm of the Phoenix volleyball program. Troy helped lead Elon to its best conference winning percentage since 2021 last season, highlighted by the Phoenix's first road win over perennial CAA power Towson since 2021.

 
UP NEXT

• Elon travels to UNCW next weekend for a two-match CAA series on Oct. 23-24. Friday's match begins at 6 p.m., followed by Saturday's finale at 2 p.m.

 
STAY POSTED

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