ELON – The Elon volleyball team returns to Schar Center to host Stony Brook in a CAA matchup. The Phoenix (5-9, 2-2 CAA) and Seawolves (8-6, 2-2 CAA) open the two-match series Friday at 6 p.m.
 
WEEKEND SCHEDULE

• Friday, Oct. 2 – vs. Stony Brook at 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 3 – vs. Stony Brook at 2 p.m.

 
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX

• Live Stats – Stat Broadcast
• Watch – FloCollege

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Elon and Stony Brook have met four times in series history, with the Seawolves holding a 3-1 advantage over the Maroon and Gold. Stony Brook has won three straight in the series.
• The teams last met in 2024 in Stony Brook, with the Seawolves winning both contests.
• Elon's lone victory in the series came in 2022 with a 3-0 sweep in the opening match of the series at Schar Center.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Phoenix competed at Hampton last week, earning a pair of straight-set victories over the Pirates. The wins helped the Maroon and Gold level its CAA record at 2-2.
• Cameron Lanier led the Phoenix offense with 28 kills, 13 digs, five blocks and two service aces over six sets. The senior outside hitter averaged 4.67 kills and 5.58 points per set.
• Catherine Rucker anchored Elon at the net at Hampton, totaling 10 blocks over six sets for an average of 1.67 per set. The junior middle blocker also contributed 15 kills on a .346 hitting percentage and three service aces over the two matches.
• Over the two-match series, Elon hit .332 as a team while averaging 15.67 kills, 13.33 assists, 2.00 service aces and 2.83 blocks per set. The Phoenix also held Hampton to a .065 attack percentage.

 
LANIER CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS

• Lanier continues to pace the Phoenix offense with 186 kills, averaging 3.72 per set to rank fourth in the CAA. The senior also ranks fifth in the league in points per set at 4.24.
• The outside hitter opened the Hampton series with 11 kills, 10 digs, two aces and two blocks for her second double-double of the season before tying her season high with 17 kills and three blocks in Friday's sweep.
• The Chapel Hill native enters the weekend with 981 career points, leaving her just 19 shy of reaching the 1,000-point milestone.

 
MIDDLES MAKING AN IMPACT

• Rucker ranks ninth in the CAA with a .322 attack percentage. The junior has totaled 81 kills and 47 blocks this season.
• Rucker also surpassed 300 career kills during the Hampton series and now has 300 kills and 167 total blocks for her Elon career.
• Caroline Berlekamp leads the Phoenix with 49 total blocks and ranks ninth in the CAA at 0.98 blocks per set. She is also hitting .293 on the season.

 
NUMBERS TO WATCH

• Kayla Palmer leads the Phoenix with 19 service aces this season, averaging 0.38 per set to rank eighth in the CAA. She also has a team-high 239 assists and is averaging 4.78 per set.
• April Rice has recorded 230 assists at 4.60 per set as she and Palmer have accounted for the majority of Elon's 547 total assists this season.
• As a team, Elon has totaled 83 service aces, ranking fourth in the CAA at 1.66 per set. The Phoenix also has 103 total blocks at 2.06 per set.
• Anna Sewell ranks second on the team with 126 kills, averaging 2.57 per set, while posting 138.5 points. Allie Schultz has totaled 75 kills and 36 blocks this season. She is averaging 1.63 kills and 0.78 blocks per set.
• Defensively, Casey Brower has a team-high 147 digs, averaging 2.94 per set to rank fifth in the CAA. Lindsey Murphy is second with 112 digs, averaging 2.24 digs per set.
• Senior Shannon O'Laughlin surpassed 400 career digs last weekend at Hampton and now has 403 during her Elon career.

 
SCOUTING STONY BROOK (8-6, 2-2 CAA)

• Stony Brook enters the weekend with an 8-6 overall record and a 2-2 mark in CAA play. The Seawolves opened conference action with a pair of wins at William & Mary before dropping both matches of their home series against Hofstra last weekend.
• The Seawolves are coming off a 12-15 record in 2025, including a 7-9 mark in CAA play. Stony Brook was picked to finish sixth in the 2026 CAA preseason poll.
• Ella Sanders leads Stony Brook with 189 kills, averaging 3.71 per set to rank fifth in the CAA. She also ranks third in the league in points per set at 4.28.
• Damisi Osibodu leads the CAA with 84 total blocks and 1.65 blocks per set, while Zayda Fuertez ranks fourth in the conference with 3.42 digs per set.

 
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.

 
UP NEXT

• Elon is back on the road for its next series, traveling to Northeastern for a pair of matches on Oct. 9-10. Both contests are scheduled to stream on FloCollege.

 
STAY POSTED

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