LYNCHBURG, Va. –
The Elon volleyball team posted a 3-1 (15-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23) win over
Liberty in the championship match of the Liberty Invitational in Lynchburg, Va.
Elon is now 8-0 on the season and remains the only unbeaten team in the
Southern Conference. Liberty fell to 3-3 on the season.
Caroline Lemke picked up tournament MVP honors after posting
34 kills over three matches for a hitting percentage of .264. She also notched
three solo blocks and was in on 12 blocks. Lemke was also selected to the
all-tournament team along with teammate Traci Stewart. Stewart led the Phoenix
with 39 kills during the tournament and recorded 11 block assists. She also tallied
18 digs.
“I was really happy with the way that the team blocked
tonight,” head coach Mary Tendler said. “The team executed the game plan well
which allowed us to pick up the win. After a slow start to the tournament,
Traci (Stewart) came up big against Liberty and was almost unstoppable.”
Stewart finished the match 16-for-33 with just three errors
for an attack percentage of .394. Lemke totaled 10 kills for the match, while
Jessica Barrow and Lauren Copenhagen notched seven kills each. Pacing the
Phoenix offense was Emily Regan with 33 assists. She also recorded three kills
on seven attempts. Ali Deatsch continued to display her serving efficiency with
two service aces.
Led by Deatsch with 17 digs, the Phoenix defense held the
defending Big South co-champions to a team hitting percentage of .122. Lemke
totaled six block assists to lead Elon, while Stewart added five. Copenhagen
recorded the lone solo block for the Phoenix.
Liberty’s Nikki Scripko recorded a match-high 19 kills,
while Chelaine McCarty and Karyl Bacon finished with seven kills each. The team
had four players with double-digit kills, led by Kelly Haseman with 17. Kallie
Corbin led the defense with five block assists.
After falling in the first set, the Phoenix bounced back to
win three straight sets. The teams kept each set close, with neither team
gaining more than a three-point advantage. The Phoenix scored the final three
points in the fourth set to seal the 3-1 victory.
Elon looks to keep its streak alive September 9 with a match
against High Point in High Point, N.C. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
Full coverage of the match will be available at www.elonphoenix.com.
- ELON -