ELON – The Elon volleyball team closes out its five-match homestand this weekend as the Phoenix (3-7, 0-0 CAA) opens CAA play against College of Charleston (8-2, 0-0 CAA) on Saturday and Sunday at Schar Center.
 
WEEKEND SCHEDULE

• Saturday, Sept. 19 – vs. Charleston at 8 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 20 – vs. Charleston at 3 p.m.

 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX

• Live Stats – Statbroadcast
• Watch – FloCollege (Sunday match only)

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Elon trails College of Charleston in the all-time series, 39-6, dating back to 1974.
• The Cougars have won six straight over the Phoenix, including a pair of four-set victories over the Maroon and Gold last season in Charleston.
• Since becoming CAA opponents in 2014, Charleston holds a 20-4 advantage over Elon.
• Elon's last win in the series came in 2022 with a five-set victory at Schar Center.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Phoenix earned a 3-1 win over USC Upstate last Saturday, its first home victory of the season. Elon won the opening two sets, 25-21 and 25-14, before closing the match with a 25-15 fourth-set victory.
• Cameron Lanier led the Elon 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.
• 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.

 
LANIER LEADING THE ATTACK

• Lanier continues to pace the Phoenix attack with 131 kills, averaging 3.45 kills per set. The senior outside hitter ranks sixth in the CAA in kills per set and seventh in points per set at 3.91.
• Lanier's 148.5 total points rank second in the CAA and 43^rd nationally, while her 131 kills rank second in the league and 35^th in the nation.
• Lanier has recorded double-digit kills in nine of Elon's 10 matches, including a season-high 17 against Appalachian State. She also owns two of the CAA's top five kill performances in matches lasting three and four sets, respectively.

 
MIDDLES HOLDING DOWN THE NET

• Rucker ranks eighth in the CAA with a .307 attack percentage, while senior Caroline Berlekamp sits 11th at .295. Elon is one of three CAA programs with multiple players among the league's top 11 in hitting percentage.
• Berlekamp has recorded a team-high 41 total blocks, ranking sixth in the CAA at 1.08 blocks per set. Her 41 blocks rank 40th nationally and third in the conference in total blocks.
• Berlekamp matched her career high with eight blocks against Appalachian State, one of the top individual blocking performances in the CAA this season.
• Rucker has added 31 blocks while hitting .307 and is coming off a 2025 season in which she led the Phoenix with 30 service aces.

 
PHOENIX AT THE SERVICE LINE

• Elon has recorded 62 service aces, ranking third in the CAA and 43^rd nationally in total aces. The Phoenix is averaging 1.63 aces per set.
• The Phoenix's 15 service aces at Old Dominion remain the highest single-match total by any CAA team this season.
• Kayla Palmer leads Elon with 14 aces, followed by Lanier and Shannon O'Laughlin with 13 apiece. O'Laughlin ranks ninth in the CAA at 0.41 aces per set.
• O'Laughlin's career-high five aces at Old Dominion are tied for one of the top individual serving performances in the CAA this season.

 
SCOUTING COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (8-2)

• The Cougars have won eight straight after starting their 2026 campaign 0-2. Charleston is coming off an undefeated weekend at its home tournament, the Steve Baumrind Invitational with victories over Duquesne, Northern Kentucky and Notre Dame.
• Charleston is coming off an 18-10 record in 2025 and a 12-4 mark in CAA play. The Cougars were tabbed as the league favorite in the 2026 CAA Preseason Poll.
• Middle blocker Caroline Noonan has been one of the most efficient attackers in the conference, leading the CAA with a .490 attack percentage. She also leads Charleston with 89 kills at 3.07 per set and ranks fourth in the league with 1.21 blocks per set.
• Setter Helena Vukovic directs the Charleston offense with 273 assists, averaging a CAA-best 9.10 assists per set. She also ranks second in the conference with 0.60 service aces per set and has a team-high 18 aces.

 
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.
• One of the top returners for the Phoenix is senior outside hitter Cameron Lanier. The Chapel Hill native is Elon's returning leader in total points (240.5) and total kills (211). Junior Anna Sewell was the Phoenix's leader in points per set (2.91) and kills per set (2.69).
• Junior middle blocker Catherine Rucker received 2026 Preseason All-CAA honorable mention recognition. The Chapel Hill native posted the second-most kills among Elon returners with 131, averaging 1.46 kills per set. She also led the Phoenix with 30 service aces and 63 total blocks.
• Elon also returns the setter tandem of sophomore April Rice and junior Kayla Palmer. Rice led the Phoenix in total assists with 518, averaging 5.23 assists per set. Palmer ranked second with 399 assists while averaging 4.64 assists per set.
• Defensively, Elon welcomes back two of its top three players in total digs in senior Shannon O'Laughlin and junior Casey Brower. O'Laughlin is the Phoenix's returning leader with 201 digs, while Brower recorded 190. The pair split time at libero last season.
• Head coach Matt Troy is in his second season at the helm of the Phoenix volleyball program. Troy helped lead Elon to its best conference winning percentage since 2021 last season, highlighted by the Phoenix's first road win over perennial CAA power Towson since 2021.

 
HOME SWEET HOME

• The Phoenix enters its ninth season at Schar Center, the 5,100-seat home of Elon's men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball programs.
• Elon will host 12 matches during the regular season at Schar Center. Admission is free for all fans.

 
UP NEXT

• Elon travels to Hampton next Thursday and Friday for its first CAA road matches.

 
STAY POSTED

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