Elon University Athletics

A three-time First Team All-American and former professional volleyball player, Mary Tendler enters her 22nd season at the helm of the Elon University volleyball program in 2024. Tendler led the maroon and gold through the transition to the Southern Conference in her first season in 2003 and also oversaw the move to the Colonial Athletic Association during the 2014 season.

Last season, Tender led the Phoenix to a 5-22 overall record, finishing 11th in the regular season. Jessica Parker was named to the All-CAA Rookie Team, the second consecutive season with a Phoenix rookie earning that honor. 

Coming off the program's most successful campaign since joining the CAA the year prior, Tendler led the Phoenix to a 13-14 record in 2022. The maroon and gold went 10-6 in conference play, marking the second straight season for the team with double-digit league wins. Elon won its first three CAA matches for the second consecutive season and became the first team to defeat Towson, who entered 18-0, on Oct. 15. The Phoenix won six of its last seven regular season matches, posting two sweeps against league foes. Three Elon players learned All-Conference honors, as Leah Daniel was named to the All-CAA First Team, Haylie Clark to the All-CAA Second Team and Clara LaRue to the All-CAA Rookie Team. 

Tendler was named the CAA Coach of the Year in 2021 and guided the Phoenix to its first-ever appearance in the CAA Championship final. The maroon and gold went 17-11 overall with an 11-5 mark in league play, the program's best conference record since joining the CAA. Elon won its first five CAA matches, its best start to conference play in its NCAA Division I history, and earned series sweeps of four league opponents. The team's 17 wins were also its most since the 2016 season and the Phoenix finished the regular season ranked second in hitting percentage (.250), third in kills per set (12.42), and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.195), assists per set (11.38) and blocks per set (2.18). The 2021 campaign also saw Haylie Clark named the CAA Setter of the Year along with an All-CAA Second Team nod. Leah Daniel landed on the All-Conference First Team, Jenn Krzeminski joined Clark on the Second Team and Sydney Love earned All-Rookie Team honors.

While COVID-19 prevented the Phoenix from competing in the fall of 2020, the team did play an abbreviated schedule in the spring of 2021. The shortened season was highlighted by a five-match win streak as Elon earned a pair of victories over CAA rival UNCW before a 3-0 sweep at UNC Greensboro and a 3-2 win at home against Davidson. The Phoenix then capped off the win streak with a 3-1 decision over James Madison, marking the program's first-ever win against the Dukes. Leah Daniel was tabbed the CAA Player of the Year, was a First Team All-Conference selection, and became the first student-athlete in program history to earn AVCA All-Region and All-American honors. Also earning postseason honors was Jordan Gower, who was selected to the All-CAA Second Team. Additionally, the season saw Isabella Seman selected as one of 30 candidates across the country for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award.

The program's first season in the newly built Schar Center, the Phoenix opened the 2018 season with a seven-match win streak as the maroon and gold finished 13-15 overall with a 6-7 record at home. Kam Terry was named to the CAA Third Team while Kellyn Trowse was selected to the All-Rookie Team. During the 2019 campaign, Elon secured the No. 5 seed in the CAA Conference Championship after finishing the regular season 13-17 overall and 7-9 in league play. The program's second appearance in the CAA Tournament since joining the league in 2014, the maroon and gold opened with a five-set victory over fourth-seeded Northeastern to advance to its first CAA Semifinal. The Phoenix took the first set 25-19 against top-seeded Towson, but fell in four sets to the tournament champions as Leah Daniel earned All-Tournament Team and First Team All-Conference honors. 

Tendler guided Elon to five straight winning seasons from 2007-11, including a Southern Conference North Division Championship in 2010 and a 23-win campaign in 2009 that marked the most victories by an Elon volleyball team since moving to the Division I level. The number eclipsed the 19-win plateau that was set the year prior when the Phoenix went 19-16.

Elon’s 2016 season saw a resurgence of sorts with the Phoenix posting an 18-15 record while Tendler earned her 200th victory in a sweep of North Carolina A&T on August 30. Hosting four teams for the Elon Phoenix Classic Sept. 8 and 9, Elon defeated all four opponents on the way to winning the tournament. The run helped the Phoenix to a season-long winning streak of nine matches from Sept. 3-16. Four players were named CAA Players of the Week throughout the season and Sydney Busa picked up CoSIDA Academic All-District honors and Third Team All-CAA honors at season’s end.  

The run continued in 2017 when Elon made its first appearance in the CAA Tournament with a 16-16 record on the year to go with five CAA wins, the most for the program since joining the conference. In the first round of the tournament, the Phoenix took eventual champion James Madison to five sets on the Dukes' home floor, but fell short in the end with a 28-30, 25-13, 25-21, 23-25, 15-9 loss. With 518 kills on the year - the most in the CAA and the 18th-most in the nation - Busa was named a First Team All-CAA honoree after the regular season while repeating as CoSIDA Academic All-District, and during the season became the fourth player in program history to join the 1,000-kill and 1,000-dig club. Newcomer Kodi Garcia was tabbed the CAA's Rookie of the Year after posting 1,279 assists, which tied for the second-most assists in a season in program history and the most since Elon became a Division I program. 

Before the upswing in 2016 and 2017, the Phoenix capped 2015 with a sweep of Northeastern in Alumni Gym on Senior Day to wrap up its second year in the CAA. During the course of the season, Tendler saw Megan Gravley reach 1,000-career kills while Busa was also named to the CAA All-Academic team at the end of the year.

In 2014, Tendler guided Elon through a conference transition for the second time as the Phoenix played its first year in the CAA. On Oct. 31, the maroon and gold claimed its first CAA victory with a 3-2 win over visiting William & Mary. Tendler coached Busa to a CAA All-Rookie selection and Gravley earned CAA All-Academic Team honors.

During the 2013 season, Tendler led the Phoenix to its fourth straight SoCon Tournament berth. Throughout the campaign, Elon claimed the tournament title at the 49er Invitational with wins over Tennessee State, South Carolina State and host Charlotte. Tendler coached senior Cali Estes and rookie Ally Karle to all-conference honors and Estes was named to the All-SoCon Second Team after posting six triple-doubles on the season. Karle earned All-Freshman accolades and was also named the SoCon Freshman of the Week during the year. Four players - Gravley, Nicksic, Kris Harris and Maggie Reichard - were also academic all-conference honorees.

In 2012, Tendler led the team to a 9-7 SoCon record, a second-place finish in the North Division and a trip to the SoCon Tournament for the third-straight season. The Phoenix posted a 6-2 mark in October, which was capped with four straight victories, including the team’s first win at Davidson in five seasons. Elon saw two freshmen named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team for the second straight year and five players were also named to the Fall All-SoCon Academic Team.

The team compiled a 19-14 overall record in 2011 and earned a trip to the SoCon Tournament for the second-straight year. The Phoenix won the Hilton RTP/NCCU Tournament to start the season 4-0 and recorded sweeps of Hampton, N.C. Central, Campbell, Radford, High Point, Western Carolina, Davidson, Wofford, Chattanooga and The Citadel. Tendler guided both Harris and Chanelle Smith to conference All-Freshman accolades while Caroline Lemke and Ali Deatsch were both named to the NCCSIA All-State Team. In the classroom, seven of Tendler’s players were named academic all-conference honorees.

In 2010, Tendler was honored as the 2010 SoCon Coach of the Year after Elon went 21-14 overall and 11-5 in conference play on route to the program’s first SoCon North Division title. The Phoenix saw a season sweep of conference foe UNCG and it’s first win in six seasons over Furman. Elon also advanced to the semifinals of the SoCon Tournament for the first time after a 3-0 victory over Davidson in the first round. Sarah Schermerhorn and Lemke picked up to all-conference honors while Schermerhorn was also named to the conference’s All-Tournament Team. Schermerhorn was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District 3 FIrst Team, becoming the first Elon volleyball player to do so.

The Phoenix won its first 11 games of the 2009 season before narrowly missing the Southern Conference tournament with a 9-7 league mark. During the historic season, Elon took home two regular-season tournament titles and handed Chattanooga two losses for Elon’s first-ever season sweep of the Lady Mocs. Tendler coached Lemke and Traci Stewart to all-conference honors and helped Deatsch earn All-Freshman accolades. Lemke picked up SoCon Player of the Week Honors in October, marking the first time an Elon volleyball player was honored by the league in the regular season. Schermerhorn was named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 3 Volleyball Second Team, becoming just the third Elon volleyball player to earn the distinction.

In 2008, Tendler coached the Phoenix to a then-Division I best 19 wins. During the season, Elon won its first regular-season tournament under Tendler and placed Lemke and Stewart on the Southern Conference All-Freshmen team.

From 2005-07, Tendler helped the Phoenix to a combined 39-47 record that included a 17-16 ledger in 2007. During the 2004 season, Tendler’s second, the team finished with a 10-6 Southern Conference ledger for a second-place finish in the league’s North Division. Following the season, Emily Hayes was named to the All-SoCon second team.

In Tendler’s first season, she guided the Phoenix to a 14-19 mark, five more wins than the previous year. She also led the team through its first year in the SoCon, posting a 7-11 slate in the conference in 2003.

For three seasons before joining the Elon staff, Tendler served as an assistant coach at James Madison University and helped lead the Dukes to a Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Tendler went to James Madison from Drake University, where she was an assistant during the 1999 season on the staff of her husband, Blaine Tendler.

Prior to her time at Drake, Tendler spent five years as an assistant at Illinois State. During that span, the Redbirds claimed a share of a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title and earned bids to both the NCAA Tournament and the National Invitational Volleyball Championship Tournament.

Before her coaching career, Tendler spent a year-and-a-half playing with the USA Olympic team and spent two years playing professionally in Europe. She played for the Schwerte Volleyball Club in Germany in 1991 and the Francheville Volleyball Club in France in 1992.

A superior middle blocker during her playing days at Illinois as Mary Eggers, Tendler was named a three-time first-team All-American as well as the 1989 Honda Broderick Award winner as the nation’s top volleyball player. A four-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, Tendler was the league’s Freshman of the Year in 1985 and the Most Valuable Player in 1986, 1987 and 1988. In September 2017, Tendler was inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame. The 28-member class was the inaugural Hall of Fame class for the University of Illinois. 

Tendler led the nation in hitting percentage in 1986 and 1988, setting an NCAA record with her .455 mark in 1986. Her .420 career hitting percentage stood as the NCAA record until 1993 and currently ranks third all-time. Tendler finished her career with 1,761 kills and only 326 errors on 3,417 attempts. She still ranks fourth in the NCAA in season hitting percentage and fifth for consecutive matches played with 151.

Tendler holds Fighting Illini career records in attack percentage, aces, blocks and kills. She was named the school’s Female Athlete of the Decade for the 1980s. She is currently a voting member in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll and on the AVCA's East Coast All-Region Awards Committee.

Tendler and her husband, Blaine, reside in Burlington, N.C.