ELON – The Elon volleyball team travels to Pittsburgh this weekend to compete at the Chick-fil-A Robinson/Pittsburgh Classic. The Phoenix (1-3) will play at Robert Morris (0-3) and Duquesne (3-0) on Friday before closing out the weekend against Eastern Michigan (3-0) in a neutral-site match Saturday.
ELON TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 4 – at Robert Morris at 11 a.m.
Friday, Sept. 4 – at Duquesne at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 5 – vs. Eastern Michigan at 12 p.m.
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
- Live Stats – Sidearmstats
- Watch – ESPN+
SERIES HISTORIES
- Robert Morris – Elon and Robert Morris have met twice in series history, splitting the two matchups. Both contests were played at Robert Morris, with the Colonials earning a five-set victory in the most recent meeting in 2019.
- Duquesne – The Phoenix and Dukes will meet for the first time in volleyball on Friday.
- Eastern Michigan – Elon and Eastern Michigan will square off for the first time on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon is coming off a 3-2 setback at UNC Asheville on Tuesday. The Phoenix won the first two sets of the match, but the Bulldogs rallied to earn the victory. It was the first meeting between the two teams since 2021.
- Senior Cameron Lanier led the Phoenix with 12 kills, her fourth match with double-digit kills in as many contests. Allie Schultz ranked second with seven kills, while Caroline Berlekamp recorded five kills with a .455 attack percentage.
- Casey Brower led the Maroon and Gold with 14 digs, while Shannon O'Laughlin added nine.
- The Phoenix fell to 10-19 in the all-time series against its in-state rival, including a 2-8 mark in Asheville.
ELON AT A GLANCE
- The Phoenix is set for 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
- The Phoenix hosts Appalachian State next Tuesday, Sept. 8, in its home opener at Schar Center. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
- The match will stream on FloCollege and the FloSports Channel on Prime Video.
STAY POSTED
- For further coverage of Elon volleyball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonVB) and Instagram (@ElonVB).
-- ELON --
