Elon Volleyball Opens November with Match Against Eagles

ELON, N.C. – The Elon volleyball team takes a break from Colonial Athletic Association competition to host North Carolina Central in a non-conference match on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. in Alumni Gym.

A Look at the Phoenix
The Elon hosted its annual Pink Match for breast cancer awareness in its last match on Sunday but was not able to pull out the win, falling to Delaware, 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 18-25, 21-25), in Alumni Gym. Sydel Curry posted her 13th double-double of the year for the Phoenix (16-12, 3-9) after 44 assists and 11 digs. Kam Terry tallied a team-high 12 kills followed by 10 kills from Michelle Klein. Maddie Jaudon led the maroon and gold defense with 16 digs and got another 11 digs from Kayla Agae, while Curry posted a team-high three blocks. Curry has now recorded double-doubles in the last six matches for a total of 13 on the season.

Scouting the Eagles
NCCU is coming off back-to-back wins over the weekend against South Carolina State and Savannah State as the team clinched a spot in the MEAC Tournament. Casey Curran leads the Eagles with 147 kills on the season, averaging 2.49 kills per set, while Whitney White is hitting a team-high .248 this year. Setter Paige Phillips averages 7.37 assists per set and 2.12 digs per set. On defense, Bree Simmons tallies 3.32 digs per set as the Eagles see 0.74 blocks/set from Jazmine Daye. After the match against the Phoenix, NCCU closes out the regular season and its MEAC slate with three straight road matches at Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina A&T.

Elon vs. North Carolina Central
This year marks the eighth straight year the Phoenix and Eagles have played each other and the 27th overall meeting. Elon has won the last 15 matches between the three with the last five coming in the form of a sweep and holds a 21-5 series advantage. The two teams met earlier this season on Sept. 13 as the Phoenix won its seventh straight on a winning streak with a 3-0 final in Durham, N.C.

CAA Offensive Player of the Week
The Colonial Athletic Association announced on Oct. 31 that Sydel Curry had been named the Co-Offensive Player of the Week. This honor marks Curry’s first CAA weekly award and the third honor for a Phoenix player this season. Curry led the maroon and gold offense in its three matches last week, tallying 123 assists to average 11.1 assists per set. The junior also recorded 40 digs for 3.64 per set after recording double-doubles in all three matches. In the team’s sweep at William & Mary, she set a new three-set career high with 42 assists (14.0/set) and tallied 11 digs and four blocks. Against Towson, she recorded 37 assists, matched a career-high with 18 digs to lead the team and posted another career-high tying five blocks. Curry recorded her 13th double-double of the season after 44 assists and 11 digs against Delaware, while also recording three blocks. Curry also finished the week with nine kills and 12 total blocks to average 1.09 blocks per set. She currently leads the conference in assists with 10.33 assists per set.

Phoenix Rankings
As of Oct. 27, the Phoenix is ranking high in several categories in the conference and in the nation. Nationally, Elon is 16th in total blocks, third in team kills, seventh in team digs and sixth in team assists, ranking first through third in the CAA in all four categories. Individually, Sydel Curry is first in the league with 10.33 assists/set. Kayla Agae is third in the conference in aces (0.34/set), while Kam Terry is fourth in the league in total kills (342) and fifth in kills per set (3.23). On defense, Ally Karle is first in blocks per set (1.31), also ranking 38th in the NCAA, and Maddie Jaudon is seventh in digs per set (4.25).

Head Coach Mary Tendler
Elon head coach Mary Tendler is in her 14th season with the Phoenix program. She enters Tuesday’s match with a 214-236 Elon and career coaching record. Tendler earned her 200th career victory on Aug. 30 with the maroon and gold’s win over North Carolina A&T.

Follow the Phoenix
Fans can follow the Phoenix throughout 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
Elon plays its final CAA road matches next weekend at College of Charleston and UNCW. The Phoenix plays in Charleston, S.C., on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. and in Wilmington, N.C., at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7.