ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Elon volleyball team took a 2-0 lead but fell in a five-set heartbreaker at UNC Asheville, 3-2 (26-24, 25-20, 16-25, 12-25, 8-15), on Tuesday night at the Justice Center.
In its first matchup in Asheville since 2005, Elon (1-3) was led offensively by
Cameron Lanier's 12 kills.
Allie Schultz added seven kills, while
Caroline Berlekamp had five kills and a .455 attack percentage.
April Rice recorded 15 assists for the Phoenix, while
Kayla Palmer contributed 14 as the duo directed the Elon attack.
Casey Brower led Elon defensively with 14 digs, while
Shannon O'Laughlin added nine.
UNC Asheville (3-1) had four players reach double-digit kills, with Sarah Wadsworth pacing the Bulldogs with a match-high 14. Lydia Pate had 12 kills, while Addie Brookbank and Cadence Nichols added 11 apiece.
THE RUNDOWN
- The Phoenix started the opening set with a 6-1 lead after a combined block from Catherine Rucker and Anna Sewell. The Bulldogs recovered with a 6-2 run to pull within one, 8-7, following a service ace. UNC Asheville eventually tied the set at 15-all before using a 4-0 run to take an 18-15 advantage. The hosts won the race to 20, taking a 20-17 lead, before the Phoenix rallied to knot the set at 20-all on a Cameron Lanier service ace. A Sewell kill and a second ace from Lanier put Elon ahead 22-20. UNC Asheville responded to tie the set at 23-all and again at 24-all, but consecutive kills from Sewell and Lanier gave the Phoenix a 26-24 victory in the opening frame.
- Both teams played evenly throughout the early portion of the second set. Elon led 3-1 early, but the frame featured 12 ties before the Phoenix took a 15-14 advantage into the media timeout. The Maroon and Gold then created separation with a 7-1 run to take a 20-15 lead, forcing a UNC Asheville timeout. The Bulldogs trimmed their deficit to three at 21-18, but Elon closed out the frame strong for a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 advantage in the match.
- The third set began with the teams tied at 8-all before the Bulldogs began to pull away, using a 7-1 run to take a 15-9 lead. UNC Asheville extended its advantage to eight, 19-11, before the Phoenix made a brief push to trim its deficit to six at 20-14. The Bulldogs eventually took their largest lead of the frame at nine, 24-15. Elon answered with a Caroline Berlekamp kill, but UNC Asheville closed out the set on the next point for a 25-16 victory.
- UNC Asheville carried its momentum from the previous set into the fourth, taking a 5-1 lead to force an Elon timeout. The Phoenix trimmed its deficit to four, 9-5, following a Lanier service ace, but the Bulldogs responded with a 4-1 run to extend their advantage to 13-6. Elon would not get any closer the rest of the frame as UNC Asheville continued to pull away, taking a double-digit lead at 17-7. The Bulldogs eventually built their largest advantage of the set at 13 points and earned a 25-12 victory to even the match at 2-2.
- The Bulldogs grabbed a 5-1 lead to start the fifth set, but Elon answered with a 4-2 run to pull within two, 7-5, following a Sewell kill. UNC Asheville pushed its advantage to five, 10-5, before a 2-0 Phoenix run trimmed the deficit to three. The Bulldogs responded with three straight points to take a 13-7 lead and force an Elon timeout. UNC Asheville reached match point at 14-8 before closing out the set on a block for the 15-8 victory
UP NEXT
- Elon travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., for the Chick-fil-A Robinson Tournament this weekend, Sept. 4-5. The Phoenix will face the field of Robert Morris, Duquesne and Eastern Michigan.
STAY POSTED
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-- ELON --
