Elon University Athletics

ELON – The Elon volleyball team took the opening set but fell to App State in four frames, 3-1 (25-22, 24-26, 24-26, 15-25), on Tuesday night in its home opener at Schar Center.
 
Elon (2-6) was led offensively by Cameron Lanier, who recorded a match-high 17 kills. Anna Sewell added 13 kills while hitting .219, while Catherine Rucker finished with six kills. Caroline Berlekamp added three kills without an attack error to hit .333.
 
April Rice paced the Phoenix with 19 assists, while Kayla Palmer added 17. Casey Brower led Elon defensively with 14 digs as the Phoenix finished with 11 total team blocks.
 
App State (3-4) was led by Bella Hutchens with 19 kills, while Chelsea Gilmore and Raegan Richardson added 10 apiece. Richardson also recorded 32 assists for the Mountaineers, who hit .224 as a team.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• The opening set went back and forth before App State created some separation with a 9-7 lead. Elon battled back to tie the frame at 15-all on a Shannon O'Laughlin service ace, but the Mountaineers later pushed ahead 19-16 to force a Phoenix timeout. The Maroon and Gold chipped away at the deficit and eventually tied the set at 21-all. After App State regained a 22-21 advantage, Elon scored the final four points of the frame, with Sewell accounting for three of the Phoenix's final four kills, to earn a 25-22 victory.
• Elon held an early 12-10 advantage in the second set before App State responded with a 6-1 run to take a 16-13 lead. The Mountaineers extended their advantage to five, 20-15, forcing a Phoenix timeout, but Elon began to battle back. The Maroon and Gold pulled within one at 23-22 following consecutive points and later trimmed the deficit to 25-24 on a Lanier kill. App State, however, held off the Phoenix rally to claim a 26-24 victory and even the match at 1-1.
• The Phoenix jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the third set, and the teams remained close through the opening portion of the frame. With Elon holding a 7-6 advantage, App State used a 9-1 run to build a 15-8 lead at the media timeout. The Mountaineers maintained a 19-15 advantage before the Phoenix began to rally, using a 4-0 run highlighted by a Palmer service ace and a Berlekamp solo block to pull within one at 20-19. Elon eventually took a 22-21 lead on an Sewell kill and later moved ahead 23-22, but App State fought back. Lanier erased one set point with a kill to tie the frame at 24-all before the Mountaineers scored the final two points for a 26-24 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
• Elon opened the fourth set with a 2-0 advantage, but App State responded and began to create separation. With the Phoenix trailing 6-5, the Mountaineers used a 9-2 run to build a 15-7 lead at the media timeout. Elon later trimmed the deficit to six, 17-11, following a Palmer service ace and an App State attack error, but the Mountaineers pulled away down the stretch. App State closed the frame with consecutive service aces to earn a 25-15 victory and secure the match, 3-1.

 
UP NEXT

• The Phoenix remains home to host Davidson on Friday, Sept. 11, at Schar Center. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.

 
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