PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Elon volleyball team closed out the Chick-fil-A Pittsburgh Classic with a 3-0 setback to Eastern Michigan (16-25, 24-26, 20-25) on Saturday afternoon at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Cameron Lanier led the Phoenix (2-5) offense with 11 kills, while
Anna Sewell and
Catherine Rucker added six apiece. Rucker hit a team-best .214 and also contributed three total blocks.
April Rice recorded 15 assists, while
Kayla Palmer added 10.
Defensively,
Casey Brower finished with a team-high 12 digs, followed by
Lindsey Murphy with 11 and
Shannon O'Laughlin with seven. Murphy also had two of Elon's five service aces.
Eastern Michigan (5-1) was led by Haley Trosky, who posted a match-high 17 kills while hitting .361. Taeley Mahler added six kills and hit .556, while Lina Govoni directed the Eagles' offense with 34 assists. Eastern Michigan hit .284 as a team for the match.
THE RUNDOWN
- The Phoenix fell behind 6-3 early in the opening set but responded with a 4-1 run to tie the frame at 7-all. Eastern Michigan answered with six unanswered points to take a 13-7 advantage before carrying a 15-8 lead into the media timeout. Elon's deficit grew to seven at 18-11, but the Phoenix responded with a 4-1 run to pull within four, 19-15. The Eagles won the race to 20, taking a 20-15 lead, before closing the frame on a 5-1 run to secure a 25-16 victory.
- The Phoenix opened the second set with a Lindsey Murphy service ace but fell behind 10-5. Elon responded with a 7-1 run to take a 12-11 lead before Eastern Michigan tied the frame at 12-all. An Allie Schultz kill gave the Maroon and Gold a 15-13 advantage at the media timeout, but the Eagles battled back to tie the set at 18-all and again at 19-all. Elon was the first to reach 20 on a Lanier kill, but a 5-2 EMU run gave the Eagles set point at 24-22. The Phoenix fought off two set points, tying the frame at 24-all on a Rucker service ace, but Eastern Michigan scored the final two points to earn a 26-24 victory and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
- The third set went back and forth early before Eastern Michigan took a 9-6 advantage. The Phoenix responded with three straight points, capped by a Lanier kill, to tie the frame at 9-all. The Eagles moved back ahead 12-10, but Elon answered with a 5-1 run that included a Palmer service ace and another Lanier kill to take a 15-13 lead into the media timeout. After EMU pulled within one at 15-14, the Phoenix used a 4-1 spurt to build its largest advantage of the set at 19-15, forcing an Eagles timeout. Eastern Michigan responded with five unanswered points to take a 20-19 lead. Elon tied the frame at 20-all on an EMU service error, but the Eagles scored the final five points to earn a 25-20 victory and complete the sweep.
UP NEXT
- The Phoenix hosts Appalachian State for its home opener on Tuesday, Sept. 8, kicking off a five-match stretch at Schar Center. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. and 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 --
