Elon Volleyball Phoenix Takes Down Evansville for Fifth-Straight Victory

ELON, N.C. – Elon University volleyball moved to 5-0 on the year with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-10) victory over Evansville on Friday, Aug. 31, inside Schar Center to close the first day of the Phoenix Classic.

FINAL STATS

“It was good to start out the Phoenix Classic with a win,” said Elon head coach Mary Tendler. “It was even better to see our offense come to life in this one. We had great first contact which allowed us to be in system quite a bit and we’ll need to continue that tomorrow to continue our winning streak.”

THE RUNDOWN
After a first set in which Evansville posted a .324 hitting percentage with 18 kills, the Purple Aces went ice cold over the course of the next three sets, closing the second and third sets with a .000 hitting percentage with a -.167 hitting percentage in the fourth set. On the flip side, Elon opened the night with a .226 hitting percentage in the first set before closing with a .400 hitting percentage thanks to 11 kills and one error in the winning set.

The second, third and fourth sets each saw Elon go on early runs to take control. In the second, the Phoenix opened on a 9-3 run and used another 10-3 run down the stretch to take a commanding 24-11 lead before a Kam Terry kill finished the set. In the third, Elon raced to a 7-1 lead that ultimately extended to 10 at 22-12. While the fourth set initially opened with Evansville up 4-2, the Phoenix used a 14-1 run to take a commanding 16-5 lead before closing the night on a 3-1 run.

HIGHLIGHTS
Terry posted her first double-double of 2018 with 17 kills and 11 digs while posting a .421 hitting percentage. Kellyn Trowse also posted 11 kills with two blocks and a .391 hitting percentage. Kodi Garcia finished two assists short of her third double-double in five matches with 38 assists and eight digs with an ace and Maddie Jaudon had 16 digs. Isabella Seman also had 10 digs for the Phoenix.

NOTES
-Elon is now 5-0 for the first time since the 2011 season. It also ties 2010 and 2011 for the second-most victories to open a season under Mary Tendler. The best start was an 11-0 mark to open 2009.
-Maddie Jaudon increased her career dig total to 1,527 and is now 266 away from Wendy Schott’s third-place mark of 1,793.
-Kam Terry now has 1,044 kills to her name and is 58 short of tying for the 10th-most in program history.

UP NEXT
Elon will close the Phoenix Classic on Saturday, Sept. 1, with a 12:30 p.m. match against N.C. Central and a 7 p.m. contest against Gardner-Webb.