WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Elon volleyball team snapped a two-match losing streak in a revenge match against Hampton today, Sept. 15, with a 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-21, 25-19) in day two of the Colonial Challenge. The Phoenix overcame a five-set loss earlier in the season to improve to 6-8 on the season, while the Pirates drop to 7-8.
Freshman Megan Gravley finished with 11 kills and sophomore Kris Harris recorded nine. Freshman Catherine Head tallied seven kills off 13 attempts with no errors to .538 in the match. Sophomore Chanelle Smith led all players with 16 digs.
Elon opened the first set on a 3-1 run off kills by C. Smith, Harris and an ace by Ali Deatsch. After the Pirates tied the score at four-all, the set remained close with neither team taking more than a two-point advantage. With the set knotted at 16, a kill and ace by Gravley helped the Phoenix scored three straight and take a 19-16 lead. After a kill by C. Smith and an ace by Maggie Reichard helped the maroon and gold open a five-point advantage over the Pirates, 23-18, Elon moved on to win the set, 25-21.
A block by Gravley and Harris started the second set as Elon took a 5-0 lead. After the Pirates pulled within three, 6-3, kills by Head and Gravley put the Phoenix back up by five. The Pirates used a 4-0 run to tie the set at 10-all and then take the lead, 12-10. Hampton maintained the advantage until the Phoenix took five of the next six points off kills by Gravley and Head, an ace by Ana Nicksic and a block by Head and C. Smith to put Elon up by two, 20-18. Kills by D. Smith, Harris and C. Smith helped seal set win for the maroon and gold, 25-21.
The third set stayed extremely tight with 13 ties by the time the score reached 15-all. The Pirates held the advantage by one, 16-15, before a 5-1 run by the Phoenix off kills by C. Smith and Gravley put the maroon and gold up by three, 20-17. Elon closed the set by scoring four of the final five points off kills by Head, Gravley and Allison Johnson to earn the set, 25-19, and the sweep.
Elon will close out the Colonial Challenge with a match against Howard at 5 p.m.