Phoenix outlasts Panthers in volleyball
(09/11/14 2:38am)
With sweat dripping off her face and a towel over her shoulder, Kayla Agae summed up the volleyball game she just played in two oh-so-accurate words.
Use the fields below to perform an advanced search of ' archives. This will return articles, images, and multimedia relevant to your query.
171 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
With sweat dripping off her face and a towel over her shoulder, Kayla Agae summed up the volleyball game she just played in two oh-so-accurate words.
Chanelle Smith knows she’ll be tired come Saturday night. But that’s what comes with the standard three-games-in-two-days tournaments that kick off the college volleyball season. Teams typically play in tournaments for the first three or four weekends of the season prior to conference play. The tournaments usually involve one game Friday night, one Saturday morning and another on Saturday night. Playing more games makes for a weekend jam-packed with volleyball, but the tournaments help foster a tough mindset for what ends up being a marathon of a season. “Just playing in three games, it’s knowing that we’re going to be tired,” said Smith, a senior outside hitter for Elon University. “You have to be mentally tough, because they’re going to be close games. When you’re just physically tired, you have to have the mentality that the ball’s never going to hit the ground.” Elon opened its year with a three-game home tournament Aug. 29-30, playing the University of Maryland, San Jose State University and Liberty University. The Phoenix spent Sept. 5-6 at the Kennesaw State Owls Invitational in Kennesaw, Georgia. Elon played Kennesaw State University, Purdue University and the University of North Carolina at Asheville. This weekend, Elon will head to Campbell University to battle the Camels, the University of North Florida and the University of South Carolina. On Sept. 19-20, the Phoenix will be at Wake Forest University to face the Demon Deacons, Western Carolina University and Winthrop University. Since it’s early in the season, Elon head coach Mary Tendler will use the tournaments to get prepared for the Colonial Athletic Association slate and to see which lineups work best. And the mindset is a little different than conference games, too. “The focus more is on our side, compared to later in the season when we have two matches a week, and we’re in the conference where we put more emphasis on what the other team is doing,” Tendler said. “Right now we’re just trying to get better on our side. We’re still trying to compete, we’re still trying to win every match we play, but we’re more focused on our side at this time of the year.” The travel aspect of the tournaments comes into play as well. For the Kennesaw State tournament, Elon traveled to Georgia on Thursday and returned after its game against UNC Asheville on Saturday night. In all, Saturdays are long days. Elon typically has a pregame meal before its first game, plays, then rests while scouting the other teams. “It kind of depends, but for us, we try to stay off our feet a lot of the time,” Smith said. “Right when we get done with pregame meal, we go back to the hotel and sit with our feet up. It’s a long day, I’m not going to lie.” The tournaments provide time to be exposed to different opponents and their styles of play, experience that could come into play down the road. When Elon played seventh-ranked Purdue in Kennesaw, it was the first time in the Phoenix’s Division I era that it competed against a nationally ranked opponent. The Boilermakers swept the Phoenix, but going up against a team with that kind of talent and watching them throughout the weekend was something Tendler said she was excited about. “The opportunity to play against a team of that caliber, and not only play against them, but [we were] able to watch them against the other teams,” Tendler said. “It’s good for our team to develop and see that competition so no matter what happens in conference this year, we’ve probably seen it. No matter how big a player is from a CAA school, we’ve seen it already in our nonconference matches.” Scouting the opponents is one big reason Tendler likes the tournaments. “It’s one thing of watching them on film or having a coach tell you what a team does, but when the players sit down and take notes and get to see it for themselves, they have a whole different perspective,” Tendler said. “It’s good that they’re taking ownership and wanting to see what the other team does.” Entering the Kennesaw State tournament, Elon was focusing on improving its offense. Tendler said she liked what the team showed in its opening weekend, especially blocking and defense, but that it needed consistency. Elon saw sophomore outside hitter Kayla Agae step up during the weekend, tallying a career-high 15 kills in a five-set loss to UNC Asheville. She had seven kills against Purdue and eight in a five-set victory against Kennesaw State. Offense is critical for Tendler throughout these tournaments so that there isn’t too much pressure put on the defense to score points off serves. “It just felt like there were a lot of times Coach Mary would push that we need to put the ball down because there were a lot of long rallies, and that just makes us tired in general,” Smith said. “She was saying that we need to find a way to terminate, whether we’re going against a small block or a big block. If we have long runs like that every single game, we’re going to be drained by the third game.” Smith said she thought the opening weekend was a good sign for the rest of the year. Elon lost a competitive four-set match to Maryland, beat San Jose State in four sets and was swept by Liberty. The season-opening match against Maryland gave the team a big spark for the weekend as a whole despite not winning. “I feel like, out of all four years I’ve been here, that’s probably the best we’ve started off,” Smith said. “In general on the court, we had so much chemistry. Even people in the stands were saying how different our team looked on the court, just the demeanor on the court when we were up or down.” With two more weekends of these tournaments, Elon has plenty of time to make more adjustments and learn more about itself. That’s what Tendler likes, especially at this point in the year. “Physically, we’re prepared for it,” she said. “Mentally, we just started the academic year so usually there’s a little less requirements for them academically. It’s a good time to have a lot of matches, but still not miss a lot of class.”
KENNESAW, Ga. — Unforced errors plagued the Elon University volleyball team in its final two games of the KSU Owls Invitational at Kennesaw State University.
KENNESAW, Ga. — Overcoming a first-set loss, the Elon University volleyball team rebounded for a 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 18-25, 15-7) victory against Kennesaw State University on Friday, Sept. 5 in the team's first game of the KSU Owls Invitational.
Admittedly, Sydney Busa was nervous.
With the losses of starting libero Maggie Reichard and setter and right side Cali Estes to graduation, the Elon University volleyball team has defense on its mind entering the 2014 season. Elon looks to sophomore defensive specialist Morgan Maner to take on a bigger role and to both setters for more focus on their defensive presence. Maner, from Burlington, started 2013 at libero before transitioning into a defensive specialist role while Reichard took the libero spot. Maner accounted for 262 digs, or 2.2 per set. “The libero position comes with a lot of leadership,” said head coach Mary Tendler. “Being so young, that’s something she’s working on, as far as talking to the other players on the court and telling them positions and all that kind of stuff. She’s working on her leadership skills as well.” With Reichard gone, Maner seems like the logical choice to step in at libero. Sophomore Chelsea Rafetto and senior Chanelle Smith are competing in the back row as well. Rafetto redshirted last year and played in 19 games — mostly at setter — in 2012. Smith is also an outside hitter. Her teammates said Maner is motivated for the challenge ahead. “She definitely isn’t backing down,” said redshirt-freshman setter Sydel Curry. “She’s accepting the challenge that’s ahead of her. She’s super aggressive, even in her everyday life. She’ll never be down for long, if she is down at all. She’s always challenging herself and challenging us. I think she’ll have a good season.” Elon averaged 14.1 digs per set in 2013. That ranked ninth in the Southern Conference, but the Colonial Athletic Association is a much stronger conference. Maner is looking to improve that number in the back row, and has other things she’s working on. “I probably need to be more vocal,” Maner said. “I’m focusing on owning my time on the court, which I think I’m doing a lot better job of this year than last year.” Curry and junior Ana Nicksic are competing for the setter spot, and Tendler has had a special message for the two of them since spring practice. “A lot of times, setters focus so much on setting the ball that the other parts of their game don’t get developed as quickly,” Tendler said. “Defensively, we’ve pushed both of them to be better defenders, and they have been. They’re making plays that they normally didn’t make.” Tendler related that message back to how it makes the team succeed. “If the ball’s coming their way and we’re getting digs, getting swings out of it, that’s a good thing,” she said. “You can’t just do one thing on the volleyball court.” Nicksic, while tallying 818 assists last season, also had 218 digs. She’s had defense in the back of her mind for the last few years — and it’s consistently getting better. “I’ve always had to work on defense,” Nicksic said. “For me, I definitely know it’s gotten better. It’s not something I dread. You have to have grit and just go for it. I kind of realized that more.” As a whole, Tendler’s message has gotten through. And if it keeps progressing, defense could become a strength of the team by season’s end. “Our defense looks really good,” Smith said. “I think that’ll be our strongest aspect of our team. We’re a lot faster, a lot more aggressive on defense.”
The last day of its annual home tournament brought the Elon University volleyball team its first victory, but also showed some areas where it needs improvement as the season progresses.
The goal wasn’t accomplished, but the Elon University volleyball definitely left Alumni Gym with a whole slew of positives to build from.
One moment of shock and disappointment for Kris Harris became a gateway to success for Ally Karle. Nearly a year after Harris had a season-ending knee injury, the Elon University volleyball team now has two capable middle blockers going into a season with almost its entire roster back and a heightened level of expectation entering the Colonial Athletic Association. Harris, a senior, is working her way back from a knee injury suffered last October to team up with sophomore Karle, who stepped in when Harris went down, to form a formidable tandem of middles at the center of the net for Elon. Power conference foes and untested waters in the CAA await Elon as the season commences, and it’ll be Harris and Karle that carry the Phoenix in its quest to develop and play to a higher standard. “They’re such strong girls, very athletic for their age,” sophomore outside hitter Kayla Agae said of Harris and Karle. “Going up as big as possible, shutting down the other hitters, funneling that ball to our defense — they’re just making it work really well.” Heartbreak for Harris It was the first set of a Friday evening game at Alumni Gym against The Citadel. Harris, as usual, was patrolling the middle as Elon scrapped its way to a 10-7 lead. On the ensuing point, Harris went down awkwardly on her left knee. It became the last point she played that season. She had surgery soon after. It was a tough moment that led to even tougher days for Harris, watching from the sidelines as Elon lost eight of its next 12 games, falling in the first round to Georgia Southern University and concluding the campaign with a mark of 16-17. Through it all, Harris looked to her teammates for continuous support and used what she remembered from undergoing shoulder surgery as a freshman in high school. “It’s been a long road,” Harris said. “I know at first, probably the hardest was post-surgery, the couple months after surgery, especially being on crutches and whatnot. I’ve really been working on strengthening my muscle in my quad and my hamstring, working on jumping and single-leg stuff. Just trying to get my left knee back to where my right knee is.” As practice began for Elon in early August, Harris was still slowly getting back to full strength. She planned to play in full scrimmages shortly before the season opener Aug. 29 against the University of Maryland and return to the court sometime early in the year. “With any injury, you take it day by day and see what happens,” said Elon head coach Mary Tendler. “Once she can get past a certain level of doing something, then we take her to the next level. When she gets in her first actual match for her senior year, that’s going to be huge for us. Not just what she can provide for us on the court, but just the emotional lift.” Harris, from Apex, has started at middle blocker in 69 of 81 matches she’s played at Elon dating back to her freshman year. She’s amassed 601 kills and 231 blocks in that time. “She brings a lot of energy. She’s really aggressive,” said senior outside hitter Chanelle Smith. “Hopefully we can get back to that point with her this season so she can finish her career ballin’ basically like she usually does.” Karle’s opportunity With Harris out, something was missing in the middle for Elon. The day after her injury, her absence was noted — Georgia Southern hit .284 against the Phoenix in a three-set triumph. “Believe me, there was a big gap when we lost her,” said junior setter Ana Nicksic. “It totally was not fun.” That’s where Karle filled in. A freshman role player still adjusting to the college game, Karle became a go-to middle for Elon with sophomore Catherine Head also missing time to injury. Karle finished the year with 172 kills (tied for fifth on the team) and 87 total blocks (best on the team), garnering a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman team. “Ally took what was handed to her and didn’t just settle for it,” said redshirt freshman setter Sydel Curry. “She took it and ran with it. She made the best out of it, and it helped us a lot. She definitely showed what she’s really about.” Karle, from Flanders, New Jersey, was crushed for Harris, but knew an opportunity had presented itself. “Of course I had in my mind, ‘This is my chance, make or break. I need to prove myself now because I might not get another chance,’” Karle said. “But at the same time, besides just me getting a chance and proving myself, I had to step up and try to do what [Harris] was doing for the team because I know we needed that.” That momentum and aggressive mindset have carried into this preseason, where Karle is once again on top of her game. “It’s definitely like a push,” Karle said of her play at the end of last year. “Any doubts you might have had, like, ‘Oh, it’s really hard,’ you can look and say, ‘Oh, I can do it.’” Off the floor, Karle’s teammates described her as a “sweetheart” and said they routinely watch movies and go bowling together. “She’s very family-oriented,” Agae said of Karle. “She loves being with her family, loves being with her friends. She cares for what other people are doing and really wants to include others. It’s awesome to have a friend, a best friend with you.” Putting it all together Looking back, Harris channels her thoughts and quickly comes to an optimistic viewpoint when looking at her injury. “At first, I was like, ‘Why did this happen to me?’” Harris said. “Then I realized it was better that it happened then than happening my senior year, or even later in the season where I can’t compete my whole senior year. The timing worked out.” Tendler acknowledged, too, sometimes injuries can come to show new strengths and previously unknown depth on a team. “There’s always a positive. When someone’s out, someone else comes in and steps in,” Tendler said. “Ally did a great job of coming in and doing her job. She progressed a lot quicker her freshman year probably than she would have if Kris was healthy the whole year. Now, all of a sudden, I have a sophomore middle blocker that’s experienced.” Harris and Karle aren’t Elon’s only middles, though. Head has shown potential in the past, and there’s been nothing but good reviews on freshman Michelle Klein. “As a defensive player, it’s nice to have some hands up there that’ll take away some court,” said sophomore defensive specialist Morgan Maner. And that’s just what they’ll do. After a second half of 2013 that featured emotional and athletic highs and lows, Kris Harris and Ally Karle are back to enforce the middle, pairing up to create the presence at the net Elon needs to hold its own.
Average just isn’t good enough anymore for Elon University volleyball coach Mary Tendler. The Phoenix was 16-17 a year ago and ranked right in the middle of the pack in both the Southern Conference standings and most league statistical categories. That’s why this year, as the team enters the much tougher Colonial Athletic Association, Tendler is encouraging her players to have higher expectations. Each player thinks of different things when it comes to expectations on and off the court. But the consensus is that it means holding a higher standard for themselves and not accepting just a measly effort. “You always want to execute and want to do the best you can on every play,” Tendler said. “Whether you’re digging a ball, it’s not good enough just to touch the ball. If someone hits it hard at you, you can’t just touch it. You want to dig the ball so we can get a swing on our side.” Tendler echoed that sentiment on hitting, specifying the need to have a plan when attacking. And that continues with serving. “We want to be aggressive with our serves,” Tendler said. “We want to be able to score points off our serves. I don’t like just playing easy in serves, and I also don’t like misses. The expectations are high.” MORE ELON VOLLEYBALL: Sydel Curry works her way back from a knee injury It’s a fitting thought as the team progresses into the CAA, a much deeper league than the SoCon with teams like James Madison University and perennial national power College of Charleston. There is a higher standard that needs to be met for success, a bar that will continually get higher as the years progress. “You shouldn’t be satisfied with something that you can do better,” said sophomore middle blocker Ally Karle. “Maybe you scored a point. If you could’ve hit it harder, it wasn’t enough. You shouldn’t be satisfied.” That’s prompted an intense environment in practices so far with some evenly matched competition. “There’s times where we’re so neck and neck at every point that everyone’s just drenched,” said junior setter Ana Nicksic. “People bring two shirts. It’s fun. It’s very evenly matched.” The team welcomes that kind of atmosphere, considering Elon opens the season against the University of Maryland from the Big Ten Conference. With that in mind, higher expectations are required for even routine passing drills in practice. “I think of just pushing yourself every second of practice,” said Elon senior middle blocker Kris Harris. “That’s really hard to do, especially when you’re doing conditioning drills and so many crazy things. I just think it really means to push ourselves to be the best we can be and really try to make that statement in the new conference.” The margin for error is slimmer and the stakes are higher. Elon can’t afford to be just average. “I think of Maryland, I think of Purdue, I think of our first home tournament, the CAA,” Nicksic said. “I’m ready to go. Just putting in that extra effort. It could be a step that’s the difference.”
In spirit of the upcoming season, one that’s sure to bring its fair share of adversity and challenges, the Elon University recently left the gym to do some team building exercises.
In one blink of an eye, so many high hopes and expectations disappeared for Sydel Curry.
RICHMOND, Va. — The Elon University volleyball team was projected to finish ninth — last place — in the Colonial Athletic Association's preseason coaches poll released by the league Tuesday.
There wasn’t must adjustment needed for the Elon University volleyball team when practice began Aug. 9, and what was needed has been easy.
The Elon University volleyball team will play teams from the Big Ten, Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference — including one at home — as part of its 2014 schedule, which the team announced Thursday.
There aren’t many days that ESPN takes a break from its seemingly nonstop coverage of LeBron James and the Dallas Cowboys to air some NCAA volleyball.
The Elon University volleyball team didn’t have a glamorous end to its regular season, having lost four straight matches, but the Phoenix managed to sneak into the Southern Conference Tournament as the eighth and final seed.
In May 2013, Elon University President Leo Lambert and Athletic Director Dave Blank announced Elon would transition to the Colonial Athletic Association starting before the 2014-2015 academic year. If Elon had been a member of the CAA this year, below is how the Phoenix would have compared to the rest of the conference.
Senior hitter Cali Estes breathed a heavy sigh after Davidson College scored the last point to end her final match at Alumni Gym. Tears flowed easily on an emotional senior night, as the Elon University volleyball team honored Estes and defensive specialist Maggie Reichard for their career with the Phoenix.
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.