ELON – The Elon volleyball team closes out its 2026 regular-season slate this week as the Phoenix (10-16) hosts Gardner-Webb (16-12) in its final home match at Schar Center on Tuesday before traveling to North Carolina Central (7-17) on Thursday in Durham.
 
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

• Tuesday, Nov. 10 – vs. Gardner-Webb at 6 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 12 – at N.C. Central at 6 p.m.

 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX

• Live Stats – StatBroadcast
• Watch – FloCollege (Gardner-Webb) | MEAC Network (N.C. Central)

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

• Elon's volleyball's matchup against Gardner-Webb will be available to stream free on the FloSports Channel on Prime Video as part of a new distribution agreement between FloSports and Prime Video.
• A FloCollege subscription is not required to watch the game on the FloSports Channel. The contest will also be available through FloCollege as part of the CAA's full live broadcast schedule.

 
SERIES HISTORY – GARDNER-WEBB

• Elon leads the all-time series against Gardner-Webb, 29-8. The Phoenix has won each of the eight meetings between the programs since 2010.
• Tuesday marks the first meeting since Sept. 3, 2024, when Elon earned a five-set victory at Schar Center. The Phoenix won the opening two sets before Gardner-Webb forced a deciding fifth frame, where Elon pulled away for a 15-9 victory.
• Caroline Berlekamp finished with nine kills and four blocks, while Kayla Palmer distributed 16 assists and added nine digs in the previous match.

 
SERIES HISTORY – NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL

• Elon owns a 32-5 advantage in the all-time series against N.C. Central. The teams last met on Sept. 24, 2025, at Schar Center, with Elon earning a straight-set victory, 25-14, 25-22, 25-18. The win marked the Phoenix's 26^th consecutive victory over the Eagles.
• Cameron Lanier led the returning Phoenix contingent in last season's meeting with 10 kills, marking her seventh double-digit kill performance of the year. Kayla Palmer added 21 assists and six digs, while Shannon O'Laughlin delivered a service ace during Elon's third-set run.
• The Phoenix's most recent trip to Durham came on Oct. 5, 2022, when Elon earned a straight-set victory.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• Elon closed CAA regular-season play with a pair of straight-set losses at N.C. A&T, falling 25-17, 25-17, 25-17 on Friday before dropping Saturday's finale 25-16, 25-17, 25-16. The Phoenix finished conference play at 7-9, its highest CAA win total since going 9-7 in 2022.
• Lanier led Elon across the two-match series with 14 kills, 10 digs and three service aces. The senior closed the weekend with 11 kills and two aces Saturday, surpassing 300 kills for the season and moving to 983 for her career, just 17 shy of 1,000.
• Rookie Caroline Smith made an impact in an expanded role, totaling nine kills during the series. The freshman established career highs with six kills and two solo blocks in Saturday's finale after setting then-career highs with three kills and nine attacks Friday.
• Catherine Rucker was Elon's most efficient attacker over the weekend, finishing with six kills and only one error on 18 swings for a .278 attack percentage. She opened the series with four kills on nine errorless attempts to hit .444.
• Casey Brower paced the Phoenix defensively with 17 digs over the two matches, including a team-high 10 in Friday's opener. Kayla Palmer and April Rice each distributed 19 assists during the series.

 
CAA TOURNAMENT RACE

• Elon completed CAA regular-season play with a 7-9 conference record. The Phoenix currently sits sixth in the league standings, which represents the final qualifying position for the six-team CAA Championship.
• Charleston (13-1), Hofstra (12-2), Campbell (10-4) and Towson (8-6) currently occupy the top four spots, while N.C. A&T sits fifth at 7-7. Elon follows at 7-9 with a .438 conference winning percentage.
• Stony Brook and UNCW remain immediately behind the Phoenix at 6-8 (.429). Both teams have two CAA matches remaining, meaning either could finish ahead of Elon or potentially create a tie at 7-9. The Seawolves host Towson this weekend, while the Seahawks travel to Hampton to close out the regular season.

 
PHOENIX BY THE NUMBERS

• Lanier continues to lead Elon offensively with 306 kills at 3.36 per set, while Anna Sewell follows with 235 kills at 2.73 per set. Lanier ranks fourth in the CAA in both kills per set and points per set at 3.86.
• Catherine Rucker remains Elon's most efficient attacker, hitting .315 with 147 kills. She ranks 10th in the CAA in attack percentage and has added 81 total blocks.
• Caroline Berlekamp has totaled 127 kills and a team-high 84 blocks, averaging 0.92 blocks per set to rank 10th in the conference.
• Kayla Palmer leads Elon with 422 assists and 29 service aces, while April Rice has contributed 408 assists. Casey Brower owns a team-best 251 digs and ranks ninth in the CAA at 2.76 per set.

 
BACK TO NONCONFERENCE PLAY

• Elon enters its final two matches with a 3-7 nonconference record, with victories over Old Dominion, Robert Morris and USC Upstate.
• Lanier has stood out in nonconference play, averaging 3.45 kills and 3.91 points per set. Sewell has averaged 2.63 kills per set, while Berlekamp has hit .295 and averaged 1.08 blocks per set.
• Rucker has hit .307 against nonconference opponents, while Palmer has averaged 4.68 assists per set and served 14 aces.

 
MILESTONE WATCH

• Lanier is now at 983 career kills, just 17 shy of 1,000. She also owns 1,121 career points and 424 digs.
• Berlekamp enters the week with 298 career blocks, leaving her just two shy of 300. She also has 428 career kills and 619 points.
• Brower has reached 565 career digs and 52 career service aces.

 
SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB (16-12, 6-7 BIG SOUTH)

• Gardner-Webb enters Tuesday at 16-12 overall and 6-7 in Big South play. The Runnin' Bulldogs were picked seventh in the preseason poll but have already clinched a berth in the six-team Big South Championship.
• Gardner-Webb split its most recent weekend, beating Radford 3-1 on Friday before falling to league-leading High Point in four sets Saturday.
• Sarina Galyean leads the attack with 256 kills at 2.56 per set, while Peyton Slone has added 189 and Samia Sayd 138. Milla Lugo has been the team's most efficient regular attacker, hitting .329 with 131 kills.
• Ella Moss leads the defense with 316 digs, while Lugo has a team-best 75 blocks. The Runnin' Bulldogs' setter duo of Olivia Lefebvre and Aleina Manaois has combined for 946 assists.

 
SCOUTING N.C. CENTRAL (7-17, 5-7 MEAC)

• N.C. Central enters the final week at 7-17 overall and 5-7 in MEAC play, sitting sixth in the current conference standings.
• N.C. Central is coming off a narrow five-set loss to Howard on Friday, falling 25-22, 22-25, 27-29, 25-19, 13-15. The Eagles produced a season-high 18 service aces and matched a season best with 13 blocks in the setback.
• Talia Emmen leads N.C. Central with 249 kills at 3.15 per set and has also served 36 aces. Shalyn Bell follows with 211 kills at 2.78 per set and a team-high 37 aces. She also leads the Eagles with 206 digs.

 
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. Elon finished CAA play at 7-9, surpassing its five conference victories from his first season and recording its highest league win total since the Phoenix went 9-7 in 2022.

 
UP NEXT

• Following Thursday's regular-season finale at N.C. Central, Elon will await the results from the final weekend of CAA play to determine whether the Phoenix qualifies for the six-team CAA Championship, hosted at Campbell University from Nov. 19-21 in Buies Creek, N.C.

 
STAY POSTED

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