ELON, N.C. – The Elon volleyball team rallied from two down to win the third set but it was not enough as the Phoenix fell to Towson, 3-1 (23-25, 19-25, 25-21, 22-25), tonight, Oct. 28, in Alumni Gym.
Sydel Curry led the Phoenix (16-11, 3-8) with a double-double, her 12th of the season, after 37 assists and a team-high 18 digs. Kam Terry recorded a match-high 15 kills followed by nine kills by Ally Karle. On defense, the maroon and gold out-blocked Towson, 12-6, with the help of seven blocks from Michelle Klein and five each by Curry and Karle.
The Tigers (20-7, 7-5) were led by double-doubles from Jessica Lewis (11 kills and 16 digs) and Marrisa Wonders (32 assists and 17 digs). Anna Holehouse tallied a team-high 23 digs, while Candace Steadman posted five total blocks.
How it happened
With the first set tied at 10-all, the Tigers moved ahead by three, 15-12, forcing an Elon timeout. A kill by Terry pulled the Phoenix back within one, 20-19, but Towson answered to reclaim a three-point edge, 22-19. Kills by Terry and Karle and back-to-back aces by Klein put Elon in front, 23-22. After a Towson timeout, the Tigers rallied to claim the next three points to win 25-23.
The Tigers took a 12-7 advantage at the beginning of the second set and used some Phoenix miscues to extend its lead to seven, 16-9. Blocks by Klein and Curry and kills from Terry and Ebony Scott helped close the gap to four, 20-16. However, the deficit was too much to overcome as TU took a 2-0 match lead after a 25-19 final.
With the maroon and gold trailing 8-5 in the third set, a kill by Karle sparked a 6-0 run by the Phoenix to take the lead, 11-8. Elon extended the lead to five, 18-13, after a kill and an ace by Terry. The Tigers cut its deficit to three, 24-21, before a Terry kill closed out the set for a 25-21 Phoenix win.
The fourth set was tied at nine-all before Towson used a 10-2 run to take a 19-11 lead. Elon answered with kills by Scott and Terry and blocks by Terry, Klein and Curry for a 9-3 run of its own to close the gap to two, 22-20. The maroon and gold would remain within two points until the Tigers reached set point, 24-22, and took the win, 25-22.
Up Next
Elon hosts Delaware in its next match on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m. in Alumni Gym. It will also mark the team’s annual Pink Match, which will support the Pink Ribbon Fund. All fans are encouraged to wear pink.