The Elon University volleyball team lost its last two matches of the year this past weekend, getting swept by the University of Delaware (25-21, 27-25, 25-14) and falling in four sets to Towson University (25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19).
The Phoenix ends its inaugural season in the Colonial Athletic Association with an overall record of 6-26 and a mark of 1-15 in CAA play. Elon's only victory in CAA play came in a five-set thriller against the College of William & Mary on Oct. 31.
Against Delaware, junior outside hitter Megan Gravley led Elon with 11 kills. Junior setter Ana Nicksic had 16 assists, while redshirt-freshman setter Sydel Curry had 14. Senior outside hitter Chanelle Smith had 10 digs.
In the first set, Elon led 21-18 but the Blue Hens rallied for the final seven points of the set. The Phoenix had set point at 25-24 in the second set but couldn't finish. Delaware went on a 10-0 run in the third set for a 15-5 advantage before Elon cut the deficit to 15-9. The Blue Hens controlled the set from there on out.
Against Towson, freshman outside hitter Sydney Busa hammered down 13 kills with just three errors in 25 attempts to hit .250. Nicksic had 24 assists, and Curry tallied 12. Curry also recorded 14 digs, while Gravley had 12 and sophomore libero Morgan Maner had 10. The Phoenix committed 11 service errors.
Down the stretch of the second set, Maner tallied an ace and junior middle blocker Catherine Head and sophomore middle blocker Ally Karle teamed up for a block to give Elon the last three points and win the set. The third set was tight and was tied a handful of times early, but a 5-0 run late helped Towson gain the advantage. The Tigers went up by as much as eight in the fourth set before Elon closed the gap to four, but it wasn't enough.
Elon bids goodbye to three seniors in Smith, middle blocker Kris Harris and outside hitter Danielle Smith.