Elon University Athletics

ELON – The Elon volleyball team opened its weekend series against William & Mary with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-22) victory on Friday evening at Schar Center.
 
The Phoenix improved to 9-10 overall and 6-3 in CAA play, while William & Mary fell to 5-11 overall and 1-6 in conference action. The victory was Elon's first over the Tribe since 2022 after William & Mary had won the previous five meetings in the series.
 
Anna Sewell paced the Maroon and Gold offensively with 14 kills on 19 attacks, committing just one error for a .684 hitting percentage. Catherine Rucker finished with three kills but made her biggest impact at the net, establishing a career high with eight total blocks with one solo block and seven block assists. The Chapel Hill native also added a service ace.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• Elon came out quickly in the opening set, scoring the first four points behind kills from Sewell and Allie Schultz and a Schultz-Rucker block. The Phoenix continued to build its advantage as Sewell recorded three kills during an 8-1 start before adding another to push the lead to 9-1. William & Mary responded with a 6-1 run to pull within three at 10-7, but Elon regained control and carried a 15-10 lead into the media timeout following a Cameron Lanier service ace. The Phoenix later pushed the margin to eight at 19-11 behind a Rucker ace. The Tribe trimmed the deficit to five at 21-16, but Lanier recorded two late kills and Palmer delivered an ace before Rucker finished off the 25-19 victory with a kill.
• Elon again jumped ahead in the second set, scoring the first four points behind a Rucker kill and a pair of Rucker-Schultz blocks. William & Mary battled back from an 8-4 deficit with five straight points to take a 9-8 lead, but Caroline Berlekamp stopped the run with a kill. After the teams traded points to 11-all, Elon took control with four consecutive points, including two blocks involving Rucker, to carry a 15-11 advantage into the media timeout. The Phoenix continued to pull away, with Sewell recording kills to push the margin to 20-14 before Lanier added three kills during the closing stretch. Schultz finished off the frame with a kill as Elon took a 25-16 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
• The third set was the most competitive of the night. William & Mary briefly took its first lead at 4-3, but Lindsey Murphy responded with consecutive service aces as Elon regained a 6-4 advantage. The Phoenix later stretched the margin to 11-6 and used a 5-0 run to build a 17-9 lead, highlighted by two Lanier kills and a Schultz-Rucker block. Sewell then recorded back-to-back kills to make it 20-12. William & Mary mounted a late rally, scoring six straight points to cut a 23-15 deficit to 23-21. A Tribe setting error gave Elon match point before William & Mary fought off one opportunity, but Rucker answered with a kill to secure the 25-22 victory and complete the sweep.

 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Elon hit .290 as a team while holding William & Mary to a .146 hitting percentage. The Phoenix hit .360 in the opening set and .345 in the second.
• April Rice and Kayla Palmer distributed 16 and 13 assists, respectively, while Palmer also served two aces. Casey Brower added 13 digs and six assists, and Murphy chipped in two service aces.
• Lanier finished with 13 kills and a career-high 16 digs for a double-double. Her 16 digs surpassed her previous career best of 14.
• The Phoenix earned its sixth CAA victory of the season, giving Elon its most conference wins since finishing 10-6 in league play in 2022.
• The victory was Elon's first over William & Mary since Sept. 24, 2022, and snapped the Tribe's five-match winning streak in the series.

 
UP NEXT

• The Phoenix and Tribe close out the series tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Schar Center.

 
STAY POSTED
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