The Elon University volleyball team fell to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20) on Wednesday, Nov. 13, in Alumni Gym. Led by senior right-side hitter Karrian Chambers’ 13 kills, the Spartans led for the majority of the first two sets before pulling away late in the third.
“They did a better job of serving and passing than we did,” said Elon head coach Mary Tendler. “When we were controlling the ball and the game, our offense was working really well. They got big leads early on which hurt us.”
In the first two sets, there were just four lead changes as Elon kept trying to catch up with the UNCG offense. The third set had a much different tone, and despite the Phoenix falling short, Tendler said there are positives to take away from this match.
“I think we made some good adjustments blocking and our front line stepped up on several plays,” she said. “We just need to bring a bit more fire to the start of the match and we need to do a better job of executing at the end of the game.”
Elon led 14-12 in the third set, which forced the Spartans to call a timeout. Four errors by the Phoenix tied the game at 17 and UNCG eventually sealed the deal.
“We had a lot of unforced errors, and they all came in sets that we competed and came very close in,” said sophomore outside hitter Megan Gravley. “So the errors on our side really hurt us. Chambers played really well for them and found a lot of our seams, too.”
Now with a three-game losing streak, the Phoenix is clinging to the edge of the standings for the Southern Conference tournament with one game to go: Senior Night at Alumni Gym against Davidson College.
“We’re really excited for Senior Night because we just want to end this season with a bang,” Gravley said. “Making it to the conference tournament is our main priority right now, but we also want to play really well for our seniors in their last home game.
Gravley had 13 kills for the Phoenix and freshman middle blocker Ally Karle added 11 kills and four blocks. Sophomore setter Ana Nicksic had 32 assists and 13 digs.
For UNCG, senior outside hitter Olivia Humphries tallied eight kills and two blocks. Freshman setter Sara Hohman posted two kills, one service ace and 37 assists.
The Phoenix will celebrate Senior Night against Davidson at Alumni Gym this Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. In the matchup between the two in Davidson, N.C. on Oct. 4, the Phoneix swept the Wildcats for their second win of the season.