Elon Athletics Weekly Update

ELON, N.C. – Every Monday, Phoenix fans can get a look at the week ahead with our “Elon Athletics Weekly Update” feature when we will preview all the week’s upcoming events for our sports teams. “Follow us” on Twitter at @elonphoenix and @elonscores, “Like” Elon Phoenix on Facebook and continue to check elonphoenix.com to stay current on all things Elon Athletics.

Men’s Basketball (11-12, 3-7 CAA)
Elon vs. Drexel, Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., Alumni Gym
Elon at Hofstra, Saturday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m., Hempstead, N.Y.

• Elon is over halfway done with league play in its first year in the CAA as the Phoenix begins February at home against Drexel on Thursday. Two days later, the Phoenix takes on Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y.
• Elon enters this week in ninth place in the CAA standings, only one game out of seventh place and two games out of fifth place. The Phoenix faces two streaking teams this week in Drexel, winners of three in a row, and a Hofstra squad that has dropped three straight.
• Tanner Samson sits at 211 threes in his career entering Thursday’s game, good for fourth in school history. The Littleton, Colo., native is entering rarified air as he trails only Jack Isenbarger (264), Chris Kiger (259) and Sebastian Koch (242) in career threes.

Men’s Tennis (0-4)
Elon at Old Dominion, Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m., Norfolk, Va.
Elon at No. 50 VCU, Sunday, Feb. 8, at 1 p.m., Richmond, Va.

• After opening the season with losses to No. 29 South Carolina and No. 17 Tennessee, the Phoenix went winless in the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Athens, Ga., falling to No. 60 Utah and No. 55 Michigan State.
• The Phoenix dropped from No. 55 nationally to No. 64 in the latest rankings released by the ITA.
• Elon travels to Virginia seeking its first win of the season. The Phoenix will first face Old Dominion, who is 3-0 on the season, on Saturday. To follow is a match against 50th-ranked VCU. The Rams stand at 6-2 on the season after winning the VCU Invitational and participating in the ITA Indoors in Charlottesville, Va.
• Elon will host Campbell in its first home match of 2015 on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m., which is also the first of 12 straight home matches.

Softball
Elon vs. USC Upstate, Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m., Hunt Softball Park
Elon vs. Radford, Saturday, Feb. 7, at 3 p.m., Hunt Softball Park
Elon vs. Radford, Sunday, Feb. 8, at 12 p.m., Hunt Softball Park

• The Elon softball team opens its 2015 campaign with a three-game slate next weekend versus USC Upstate and Radford. The Phoenix opens against the Spartans on Saturday before closing out the weekend with games against the Highlanders.
• This weekend’s games marks the first time that the Phoenix opens at home at its facility of Hunt Softball Park.
• Elon returns 14 letterwinners and six starters for fourth-year head coach Kathy Bocock. Among the Phoenix’s top returners, sophomore Alaina Hall was an all-conference selection as a rookie after leading the team in hits, batting average, runs scored and stolen bases.

Women’s Basketball (12-8, 5-4 CAA)
Elon at Towson, Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., Towson, Md.
Elon at College of Charleston, Sunday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m., Charleston, S.C.

• The Phoenix wraps up a three-game road swing when it plays at Towson and College of Charleston this week.
• Elon is looking to bounce back after a setback against league leader James Madison in its lone game last week.
• The maroon and gold tallied wins over both the Tigers and the Cougars already this season. Elon claimed a 58-43 advantage against Towson and a 77-68 victory against CofC with both games being played in Alumni Gym,

Women’s Lacrosse (1-0)
Elon vs. Duke, Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m., Rhodes Stadium

• Elon opened the 2015 season with an impressive 24-8 win over Kennesaw State on Saturday. The 24 goals by the Phoenix marked a new single-game record for the program and was its largest ever margin of victory.
• Rookie Stephanie Asher led the team with five goals and also tallied one assist, while sophomore Sloane Kessler recorded seven points with three goals and four assists.
• The Phoenix remains at home this week to host ACC opponent Duke in Rhodes Stadium on Feb. 7. The game will mark the one-year anniversary of Elon’s first ever game when the maroon and gold took on the Blue Devils in Durham, N.C.

Women’s Tennis (1-3)
Elon at Wake Forest, Saturday, Feb. 7, at 3 p.m., Winston-Salem, N.C.

?• The Elon women’s tennis team heads to Wake Forest for a match against the Demon Deacons this Saturday.
• The Phoenix defeated Wake Forest, 4-3, in the 2013 season for its first ever win against an ACC opponent.
?• Elon traveled to Gainesville, Fla., for the ITA Kickoff Weekend in its last competition. During that weekend, the Phoenix faced the second-ranked Florida Gators and the 61st-ranked Georgia State Panthers, dropping both contests.

Women’s Track and Field
Elon at ETSU Track and Field Invite, Friday – Saturday, Feb. 6 – 7, Johnson City, Tenn.

• The maroon and gold will travel to East Tennessee State for the ETSU Track and Field Invite beginning on Friday, Feb. 7.
• Sophomore Kimberly Johansen set a new school record in the indoor one-mile run last Saturday, Jan. 31, with her time of 4:55.85.
• Johansen’s time qualifies her for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) indoor championship. This is the second race that Johansen has qualified for the ECAC meet and joins Bre’anna Warren (shot put), Tereza Novotna (one-mile) and Elyse Bierut (3,000-meters) for the championship meet in Boston on March 5.