The Elon University volleyball team couldn't come out of a 2-0 hole, falling to Towson University 3-1 Friday night in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) match.
Elon went into the third set having already dropped the first two sets. But Elon battled hard to keep the match alive, winning the set by a score of 25-21, a response that pleased junior setter Sydel Curry, who reflected on her team’s response to going down two sets to none.
“We were all really hyped to play this team,” Curry said. “We were so ready to come back and show them that we can compete and we can win this game. In the locker room, we looked each other in the eyes like, ‘We have to do what we have to do to get this match done.’”
The opening set had five ties and four lead changes, as neither team was able to build a lead bigger than four points. Late into the first set, the Phoenix went on a 4-0 run to ake a 23-22 lead, but the Tigers regrouped after a timeout and scored three straight points to win the match’s first set.
The second set was much more one-sided, as the Phoenix only held one lead, at 4-3. Towson won the set by a score of 25-19, showing a sense of dominance that ended up subsiding in the following set.
The fourth and final set saw Towson lead by as much as eight points, and despite a rally, Elon could not complete a comeback and lost the set 25-22.
Although the final outcome was unfavorable, sophomore outside hitter Kam Terry hopes her team can replicate the “attitude that [the team] had in the third and fourth sets, the fight at the end, the communication, and the fire we had in everything.”
Head coach Mary Tendler was in high praise of both Curry and Terry after the match.
“Kam had a great offensive night, and Sydel led us in digs — which doesn’t happen in every match — and she had five blocks, which also doesn’t happen in every match," Tendler said. "She lead us in assists, but she’s been working really hard on her defense and on her blocking, so for her to get those numbers is more impressive than the assists [37] tonight.”
This loss drops Elon’s record to 16-11 overall and 3-8 in CAA play. The Phoenix’s next match is at 2 p.m. Sunday against the University of Delaware in its annual Pink Match.