Thanks in no small part to Georgia Southern University, the Elon University volleyball team's playoff odds took a turn for the better this weekend.
While the Phoenix was busy sweeping its match against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Eagles put a downer on Western Carolina University's Senior Night, helping the Phoenix get to within a game and a half of the Southern Conference North Division's final playoff spot.
The weekend couldn't have started off worse for the Phoenix. Elon's losing streak hit four in a row with a three-set loss to Samford University Friday. It wasn't all about Samford's dominance, either. Elon hurt itself with hitting errors. They committed 23 in the defeat, with 14 of those coming in the first set.
"It's hard to win when you have that many errors," head coach Mary Tendler said.
But the Phoenix came out eager to snap its losing streak and erase the memories of an October loss to the Mocs, a team that was 3-16 entering its first match with Elon.
"That was terrible," junior middle blocker Rose Eddy said of the loss at Chattanooga. "None of us expected that."
This match was different. After winning the first two sets with identical 25-23 scores, Elon breezed through the third with a 25-13 win to take the match. Eddy's height advantage was a huge edge throughout the match. The 6'3" junior had 11 kills on 13 attempts for a .846 hitting percentage.
"I can touch the rim sometimes when I try really hard," Eddy said. "It's gotta be tough to not be as tall."
With the win and Western Carolina's subsequent loss, the Phoenix enters this weekend with a reasonable shot at making the SoCon Tournament field. Both of Elon's remaining games are in Alumni Gym, against a UNC Greensboro team it took to five sets before dropping in late September and against The Citadel, who are just 1-13 in SoCon play.
Meanwhile, Western Carolina has three games left. Two of those games are against the top two teams in the North, at Samford and home against Appalachian State University Nov. 8. Western Carolina also has to travel to Chattanooga. If the Phoenix wins out and WCU loses two of three, Elon makes the field of eight for the SoCon tournament.
But for Elon to get there, players will have to erase the memories of their Sept. 23 loss. In that first matchup against the Spartans, UNCG's outside hitters had their way with the Elon defense. Karrian Chambers and Ariel Newman each had 21 kills on the night, career highs for both players.
"They're really aggressive," Tendler said of the UNCG outside hitters. "Hopefully we can do a better job (Friday)."
After its matchup with the Spartans, Elon's final task is a Senior Day game against The Citadel. The Bulldogs have lost 40 of their 46 Southern Conference sets this season; before Saturday night's win over the Wofford College, The Citadel was winless in the conference. It's a scenario Eddy remembers all too well.
In 2009, Eddy's freshman year, the Catamounts were 0-15 in SoCon play before winning their last match, a 5-set victory over the Phoenix. But unlike 2009, this year Elon will have something to play for.
Eddy was so confident after the team's win over Chattanooga that she guaranteed a win over The Citadel this Sunday.
"It's not going to happen again," Eddy said of losing to the conference's worst team. ""All we can do is win and hope everything works out"