ELON – The Elon volleyball team earned a four-set victory over USC Upstate, 3-1 (25-21, 25-14, 19-25, 25-15), on Saturday at Schar Center.
Cameron Lanier led the Elon (3-7) offense with 15 kills while hitting .278. The senior also recorded three service aces to match her career high.
Anna Sewell added 10 kills, while
Catherine Rucker finished with seven kills on a .462 attack percentage. Rucker also contributed four total blocks and two service aces.
Allie Schultz added six kills and four total blocks, while
April Rice recorded four kills, 15 assists and four digs.
Kayla Palmer added 14 assists as Elon hit .230 for the match. Defensively,
Casey Brower had a team-high 10 digs, followed by Lanier and
Lindsey Murphy with eight apiece. The Phoenix finished with 10 total team blocks.
USC Upstate (5-3) was led by Summer Kohler, who finished with 17 kills and seven digs. Savannah Page added seven kills, while Kamyla Vega David paced the Spartans with 27 assists. The Phoenix held the Spartans to hit .158 for the match.
THE RUNDOWN
- The teams played evenly throughout the early portion of the opening set and were tied at 9-all before Elon began to create separation. The Phoenix used a 5-1 run to take a 14-10 advantage, highlighted by a Rucker kill and a block from Caroline Berlekamp and Sewell. Elon extended its lead to six, 20-14, following consecutive Rucker kills. USC Upstate made a late push, trimming the deficit to three at 21-18, but the Phoenix maintained the advantage. A Lanier kill eventually closed out the frame, 25-21, to give Elon a 1-0 lead in the match.
- The second set was tied at 3-all before the Phoenix took control with seven unanswered points. Shannon O'Laughlin served throughout the run, contributing an ace as Elon built a 10-3 advantage and forced a USC Upstate timeout. The Spartans trimmed the deficit to five, 10-5, but Elon continued to pull away and carried a 15-9 lead through the middle portion of the frame. The Phoenix later pushed its advantage to nine at 20-11 following a Berlekamp kill. A Murphy service ace helped extend the lead to 22-12 before Elon reached set point at 24-13. The Phoenix eventually earned a 25-14 victory to take a 2-0 match lead.
- Elon held a 14-11 advantage midway through the third set, but USC Upstate responded with five consecutive points to move ahead 16-14. Lanier stopped the run with a kill, but the Spartans answered by scoring five of the next six points to build a 21-16 lead. The Phoenix pulled within three at 21-18 behind consecutive Lanier kills, but USC Upstate held off the rally and closed the set with a 25-19 victory to extend the match.
- The Phoenix came out quickly in the fourth set, breaking a 1-all tie with seven unanswered points to take an 8-1 advantage. USC Upstate answered with a 6-1 run to pull within two, 9-7, but Elon responded with another decisive surge. Lanier recorded a kill and served three aces during a 6-0 Phoenix run that pushed the advantage to 15-7 at the media timeout. Elon continued to build on the lead, moving ahead 20-9. The Spartans made a late push, but the Phoenix reached match point at 24-15 before Schultz put away the final kill for a 25-15 victory and the 3-1 match win.
UP NEXT
- The Phoenix begins CAA play next weekend, Sept. 19-20, hosting College of Charleston at Schar Center. Both matches will stream on FloCollege.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Elon volleyball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonVB) and Instagram (@ElonVB).
-- ELON --
