Elon University Athletics

ELON – The Elon University volleyball team fell to William & Mary in straight sets, 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-19), on Saturday afternoon at Schar Center.
 
The Phoenix moved to 9-11 overall and 6-4 in CAA play, while the Tribe improved to 6-11 overall and 2-6 in conference action.
 
Cameron Lanier and Catherine Rucker shared the team lead with 10 kills apiece. Rucker hit .471 on 17 swings and added two block assists, while Lanier contributed three digs and a service ace. Caroline Berlekamp finished with nine kills on 10 attacks and just one error for a career-best .800 hitting percentage.
 
April Rice finished with 18 assists, while Kayla Palmer added 17 assists and a service ace. Casey Brower paced the Phoenix with nine digs, and Lindsey Murphy added seven.
 
William & Mary hit .374 as a team, finishing with 47 kills against 13 errors on 91 attacks. Devereaux Hoxsie led the Tribe with 11 kills, while Sophia Van Name added 10. Cate Hatfield and Shylah Swope dished out 19 and 18 assists, respectively, while Avery Horejsi recorded a match-high 14 digs.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• The teams traded points throughout the early portion of the opening set before William & Mary created the first separation. With Elon trailing 8-9, the Tribe scored six of the next seven points to build a 15-9 advantage at the media timeout. The Phoenix began to chip away behind kills from Berlekamp, Lanier, Rucker and Sewell, pulling within three at 20-23 following a Berlekamp-Sewell block. William & Mary reached set point at 24-20 before Sewell fought off one opportunity with a kill, but Hoxsie answered on the following point to give the Tribe a 25-21 victory.
• Elon opened the second set with four unanswered points behind kills from Lanier, Allie Schultz and Berlekamp. William & Mary responded and eventually took a 7-6 advantage, but the Phoenix answered with a 7-0 run to surge ahead 13-7. Rucker recorded two kills and helped on two blocks during the stretch, while Lanier capped the run with a service ace. The Tribe gradually worked back into the set, tying the frame at 20-all and again at 21, 22 and 23. Berlekamp gave Elon set point at 24-23, but William & Mary scored the final three points, including an Olivia Westfort service ace, to take the frame 26-24 and take a 2-0 match lead.
• Elon built an early 6-2 lead in the third set behind a Palmer service ace and a pair of Rucker kills, but William & Mary answered and moved in front 9-8 following a successful challenge. The Tribe later used a 5-1 stretch to build a 14-10 advantage and carried a 15-12 lead into the media timeout. Elon remained within three at 18-15 following another Rucker kill, but William & Mary stretched the margin to 22-17. Berlekamp and Lanier recorded late kills for the Phoenix, but Westfort closed out the 25-19 victory to complete the sweep.

 
UP NEXT

• Elon travels to UNCW next weekend for a two-match series on Oct. 23-24.

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