Elon Volleyball Travels to Face Tribe Saturday

ELON, N.C. – The Elon volleyball team (3-17, 0-7 CAA) plays its lone match of the week at William &Mary (8-12, 2-5 CAA) on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. in Williamsburg, Va.

A Look at the Phoenix
Elon (3-17, 0-7 CAA) wrapped up a five-match home stand against UNCW on Sunday, including three matches in a four-day span. The Phoenix recorded a season-high 80 digs in its match against Delaware with four players posting double-digit dig marks, including 19 digs from libero Maddie Jaudon. The maroon and gold out-blocked its opponents in two of the matches last week and finished with 21 total blocks, averaging 1.91 blocks per set, with the help of 13 blocks from Ally Karle (1.3/set).

Scouting the Tribe
William & Mary claimed its second CAA win of the season on Monday in a sweep of Delaware. The Tribe is 8-12 overall on the season and closes out a six-match home stand with its match against the Phoenix. Carolyn Albright ranks seventh in the conference with a .294 hitting percentage and has tallied 133 kills on the season, while Dessi Koleva has recorded a team-high 199 kills. On defense, Sara Zumbach averages 3.63 digs per set with Albright posting 0.88 blocks/set.

Series History
The series between Elon and William & Mary dates back to 1974. The Tribe owns the advantage, 4-2, with three of matches coming in the last three years. The Phoenix won the last meeting in five sets on Oct. 31, 2014, marking Elon’s first Colonial Athletic Association victory.

With an Assist from Curry
Setter Sydel Curry tallied 120 assists in 11 sets played last week to average an impressive 10.9 assists per set. The sophomore posted a new career-high 46 assists in four sets against College of Charleston and matched her career-high with 13 digs to record her fourth double-double of the season. Against UNCW, Curry finished with a three-set career-high 36 assists to close out the week.

Block Party
The Elon defense has been impressive at the net so far this season and is out-blocking opponents 175.5-126.5. The Phoenix has out-blocked the other team in 13 of its 20 matches this year and is averaging 2.4 blocks per set. The maroon and gold block has been led by Catherine Head and Ally Karle, who have each recorded career highs this season. Karle posted 11 blocks at Hofstra, which was the most by an Elon player since 2006, and ranks second on the program’s Division I single-match records list. Elon ranks 29th nationally (third in the conference) in total blocks and 65th (second in CAA) in blocks per set.

Head Coach Mary Tendler
Elon head coach Mary Tendler is in her 13th season with the Phoenix program. She enters this weekend’s match with a 194-218 Elon and career coaching record.

Follow the Phoenix
Fans can follow the Phoenix this weekend and through the season with updates on elonphoenix.com. Live stats for every volleyball match will be available on the team’s schedule and home pages on the Elon athletic website. In-game updates will also be provided on Twitter at @elonscores.

Looking Ahead
The Phoenix returns home to Alumni Gym to host North Carolina A&T in a non-conference match on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.