NORFOLK, Va. – The Elon volleyball team suffered a 3-1 (25-22, 19-25, 23-25, 19-25) setback to St. John's on Friday afternoon in the Phoenix's season opener at the Quest for the Crown Tournament at the ODU Volleyball Center.
The Phoenix (0-1) won the opening frame but could not hold off the Red Storm (1-0), which took the next three sets. St. John's also improved to 3-0 all-time against Elon.
Senior
Cameron Lanier posted a double-double for the Phoenix with 14 kills and 11 digs.
Allie Schultz,
Caroline Berlekamp and
Anna Sewell added nine kills apiece for Elon, while
Kayla Palmer recorded 24 assists directing the Phoenix attack.
Casey Brower had 14 digs to lead Elon's defensive effort, while
Shannon O'Laughlin added 10. Berlekamp and Schultz each had five total blocks, matching
Catherine Rucker for team-high honors.
Four St. John's players recorded double-digit kills, led by Carola Tesoro with a match-high 17. Kendall White and Chloe Bell each had 12 kills, while Lejla Hadiredepovic contributed 11. Rashan Solano Smith added 24 digs.
THE RUNDOWN
- In the opening set, the teams played evenly as St. John's tied the frame for the 10th time at 12-12. Elon then gained control with a 6-2 run, forcing a Red Storm timeout after a Palmer service ace gave the Phoenix an 18-14 advantage. St. John's battled back to trim Elon's lead to one, 20-19, with a 5-2 spurt, but the Maroon and Gold answered with kills from Schultz, Lanier and Sewell to take a 23-21 lead. The Red Storm again pulled within one, but Elon held off the rally for a 25-22 win in the opening set.
- A kill from Schultz tied the second set at 10-all, but St. John's responded with a 3-0 run to force an Elon timeout with the Phoenix trailing 13-10. A kill from Lanier briefly halted the Red Storm's momentum, while another from Sewell pulled Elon within 17-14. St. John's answered with a 6-1 run to expand its lead to 23-16. The Phoenix put together a late 3-1 spurt behind three Lanier kills, but the Red Storm secured the second set with a 25-19 victory.
- Elon opened the third set with a 5-3 lead before the Red Storm used a 4-1 run to take a 7-6 advantage. The Phoenix responded with a 5-1 run to retake the lead, 11-8, forcing a St. John's timeout. Elon kept its momentum going after the break, scoring three more unanswered points to extend the lead to 14-8 and force another timeout. The Phoenix led by as many as six, 16-10, before the Red Storm rallied to pull within two at 17-15. A Rucker kill kept Elon ahead by two, 18-16, but St. John's tied the set at 18-all and stayed within striking distance before taking a 24-23 lead on a service ace. Following an Elon timeout, the Red Storm completed the comeback with a kill to take the set 25-23 and grab a 2-1 advantage in the match.
- Elon stayed within striking distance through the opening portion of the fourth set, using a Berlekamp kill and a block from Rucker and Lanier to erase an early 2-0 deficit. The Phoenix later pulled even at eight-all and used consecutive Sewell kills to take an 11-9 advantage. St. John's responded with a 5-0 run to move in front 14-11, then extended its lead to 18-12 behind three kills from Tesoro and an Elon attack error. Elon continued to battle, getting a Rucker service ace and kills from Schultz and Berlekamp to trim the deficit, but the Red Storm closed out the set 25-19 to secure the match.
UP NEXT
- The Phoenix returns for the second day of the Quest for the Crown Tournament on Saturday, facing Norfolk State at 3 p.m. and host Old Dominion at 6 p.m.
STAY POSTED
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-- ELON --
