Elon Volleyball Puts Up Fight in Loss to JMU

ELON, N.C. – Elon University volleyball and James Madison were neck-and-neck through the first three sets, but the visitors remained perfect in conference play with a 3-1 decision Saturday, Oct. 6, at Schar Center.

FINAL RESULTS

“We competed really hard today against a very strong, experienced team,” said head coach Mary Tendler. “We closed out the second set strong and had a great opportunity to do the same in the third set but couldn’t finish it off. We look forward to getting back in Schar Center tomorrow and competing against the Blue Hens.”

Elon falls to 8-8 overall and 0-5 in CAA play while James Madison moves to 13-3, 5-0.

THE RUNDOWN
The first three sets were close from start to finish, with neither team holding onto a lead for long. There were a total of 34 ties and 13 lead changes.

After JMU took the opening set 25-20, Elon took off with seven unanswered points to establish a 9-4 lead early in set two. The Dukes were able to get back at 15-all and looked to get the set point later on at 24-23, but the Phoenix pulled even in the match with a 4-1 swing.

Set three was also a race to the finish. A Kellyn Trowse kill gave the maroon and gold an opportunity to get the lead in the match at 24-22, but JMU stayed alive with a three-point response. A Duke setting error again gave Elon some life, but another 3-0 run allowed the purple and gold to grab the set.

JMU finally out together a big run in set four with a 12-2 swing. The Phoenix were unable to recover and the Dukes earned the 3-1 victory.

HIGHLIGHTS
Terry scored a team-high 18 kills on 48 attacks (.271) and tied her season high with 17 digs for her second double-double in three matches. The senior from Marengo, Ohio added a block assist to her totals. Trowse and Leah Daniel reached double digit kills as well with 12 and 11, respectively. Kodi Garcia flirted with a double-double of her own as the sophomore picked up 36 assists with nine digs. Haylie Clark contributed 14 assists and seven digs and Maddie Jaudon tallied 16 digs, four assists, and an ace. Natalie Cummins made four blocks for the second match in a row.

NOTES
-Clark has reached double-digit assists in our consecutive matches.
-Terry eclipsed 1,200 career kills and needs two more to tie Megan Crooks (’94) for seventh on Elon’s career leaders list.
-Elizabeth Coil scored five kills on the day and needs five more to reach 200 in her career.
-Jaudon is approaching 1,700 career digs. She needs just 10 more to reach the mark.
-Elon is still in search of its first win against the Dukes, who improve to 11-0 in the all-time series.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix wrap up the weekend tomorrow, Oct. 7, at 1 p.m. versus the Delaware Blue Hens.