Elon Phoenix Volleyball Claims Five-Set Victory Over HPU Panthers

ELON, N.C. – The Elon volleyball team (3-4) prevailed over High Point (2-4) in a tight five-set match, 3-2 (17-15, 25-20, 25-22, 25-16, 15-13), tonight, Sept. 10, in Alumni Gym.

“We had a lot of trouble defending a very good High Point team early in the match, but got better as the night went along,” said Elon head coach Mary Tendler. “The players worked hard throughout the match and stayed mentally tough at key moments. It was nice to see them come through and pull out that fifth set.”

Megan Gravley and Sydney Busa led the Phoenix on offense with 12 kills each, while Kayla Agae recorded a double-double with 11 kills and a team-high 20 digs. Ally Karle finished the match with nine kills and four blocks.

In the first set, the Panthers held the advantage from the beginning and reached set point, 24-13. Kills by Agae and Karle an errors by HPU helped Elon to a four-point rally before the set went to the Panthers, 24-17.

HPU kept its momentum into the second set with a 10-7 lead to force an early Phoenix timeout. Kills by Gravley and Karle and a block by Karle and Kris Harris led Elon to a 7-1 run to claim a 14-11 edge. After HPU closed the gap to two, 21-19, Elon scored four of the final five points to take a 25-20 win and even the match.

With High Point holding an 8-4 lead in the third set, the Phoenix used an 8-3 run with kills by Agae, Gravley and Busa to take the advantage, 12-11. The set would remain close until Elon opened up a four-point lead, 22-18, after two kills by Busa and one by Gravley. The maroon and gold held on to the lead and closed out the set on a Busa kill to win, 25-22.

The fourth set started out tight with 11 ties by the time the score reached 14-all. HPU would move ahead, 19-16, and close out the set on the serve of Wavie Chin, 25-16, to push the match to a deciding fifth set.

Elon started the fifth set on a 4-0 run with two kills by Karle and one by Gravley. The Panthers rallied to even the score at six-all before a Danielle Smith kill put the Phoenix ahead, 10-9. With the set at 12-all, Elon closed out the set, 15-13, and the match off a Gravley kill to take the victory.

Elon will play in the Hampton Inn & Suites of Holly Springs Invitational this weekend, Sept. 12 – 13, in Buies Creek, N.C., against host Campbell, North Florida and South Carolina. The first match of the tournament for the Phoenix is on Friday, Sept. 12, at 4:40 p.m. against the Ospreys of UNF.