After recording a career-high 10 kills yesterday, Elon freshman and outside hitter Clara LaRue came back to Schar Center ready for more. She set not only a career record Sept. 25, but a team-high—15 kills.
LaRue said she was thrilled with her performance yesterday and was even more excited to step back onto the court today.
“I was just really trying to attack the ball high, hit off the hands and get points in whatever way I could,” LaRue said.
Head coach Mary Tendler said she was extremely impressed with the outside hitter. Prior to last weekend, LaRue had not been playing much for the team, but she took charge and stepped up this weekend.
“For her to come in and play well last weekend and then sustain that this weekend was huge,” Tendler said. “She's a real smart hitter, she sees the block and has a lot of different shots that she can use.”
Even with her outstanding efforts, LaRue was unable to propel the Phoenix to its fifth straight victory, losing a five-set battle 2-3 to William & Mary.
The team started off strong, battling back and forth in the first set. At one point, the set tied 13-13, but the Phoenix pushed through, taking the lead and ending in a 25-17 victory.
In the second set, Elon took an early lead of 10-4 but was outscored by the Tribe 18-25. The third set was a continual battle, tying 7-7 early, but William & Mary overpowered the Phoenix, closing it out by a score of 20-25.
In the fourth set, Elon went to work early, getting the Phoenix’s lead up to 20-11. The last five points were a battle, but eventually, the team won 25-17.
“I was proud of our kids for getting it back in set four and getting a pretty sizable lead,” Tendler said.
William & Mary ended up taking the early lead in the fifth and final set, winning by a score of 10-15.
“I'm a little disappointed with how the turnout was, but I think we all really tried our best,” LaRue said. “We're gonna just have to work hard in practice to hopefully beat the rest of the teams in the conference.”
The team will be taking a day of rest on Sept. 26 and resume practice on Sept. 27 to prepare for its upcoming games at Northeastern on Oct. 1 and 2.