Elon Volleyball Holds Off UNCG in Tussle in the Triad Finale

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Trailing 1-0 after the opening set, the Elon University volleyball team rallied to win the next two sets and hold off UNCG for a 3-2 (19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12) victory over the Spartans in the Phoenix’s Tussle in the Triad finale on Saturday night, Sept. 3, at the Fleming Gymnasium.

BOX SCORE

Elon (4-2) had four players with double-digit kills including senior Ebony Scott with a team and career-best 18. Kam Terry had 14 kills while Kayla Agae and Michelle Klein both had 12. Sydel Curry had a double-double with a 14 digs and a new career-high 51 assists.

Defensively, Agae had 25 digs for the Phoenix while Maddie Jaudon added 23. Morgan Maner also had double-digit digs with 14.

Ashley Muench had a game-high 19 kills for the Spartans (1-5) while also contributing 16 digs to her stat line. Jasmine Jones added 14 kills while Allison Penner had a game-best 55 assists. Christina Gregory had 36 digs on the defensive side for UNCG.

Elon finished as the runner-up in the tournament with its 2-1 ledger behind High Point, who went undefeated with a 3-0 record. Both Agae and Curry were selected to the all-tournament team.

How it Happened
Elon tied the match early in the opening set 4-4 and took a 7-4 lead after a UNCG attack error. The Spartans rallied to tie the match at seven-all and took a 12-10 lead on a kill by Muench. After the Phoenix tied it at 12-12 on a kill by Ally Karle, UNCG went on a 5-1 run to push its lead to 17-13. Elon climbed back to trim the deficit to two, 17-15, but the Spartans were able to maintain its lead and claim the first set, 25-19.

In the second set, neither team could escape each other with multiple ties during the set. Down 20-18, the Phoenix went on a 4-0 run to take the lead at 22-20 after an attack error. A service error on the Phoenix made it a one-score game, but a pair of kills by Curry and another by Terry closed out the set and tied the match at 1-1.

Elon saw another early deficit in the third set as the Phoenix trailed 10-7 and then 12-9 before climbing back to tie the match at 14-all. With the match tied at 15-15, a 3-1 run by the Phoenix forced the Spartans to call a timeout down 18-16. UNCG pulled within one, 18-17, but a 4-0 run sparked by kills from Scott and Terry gave the Phoenix a 22-17 cushion and an eventual 25-20 set three win to go up 2-1.

After opening the fourth set tied at 2-2, a 5-2 run by UNCG gave the Spartans a 7-4 lead and saw its advantage increase to 15-10 after a Phoenix attack error. With the score 17-14, Elon went on a 4-1 run to tie the match at 18-all and took an eventual 22-21 lead over the Spartans. The lead would not last as UNCG closed out the set with four straight points to force the final and deciding set.

In the fifth and final set, UNCG jumped out to a 4-1 lead after a service ace and forced the Phoenix to a timeout. Trailing 6-4, Elon went on a 6-1 run with Klein contributing three kills during that stretch to take a 10-7 lead. After a UNCG timeout, the Spartans pulled within two, 12-10, but back-to-back kills from Scott put the Phoenix in front at 14-10. UNCG rallied to pull back to two, but Scott closed out the game with her 18th kill to give Elon the 3-2 match victory.

Notes
UNCG leads the all-time series, 36-18
Prior to tonight’s match, UNCG had won the last four straight
Elon’s last win against UNCG came on Nov. 8, 2012, in Greensboro with a 3-1 final.

Up Next
Elon is back on the road for its next match on Tuesday, Sept. 6, when it travels to Davidson, N.C., to take on the Davidson Wildcats. The first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Belk Arena.