Elon 3, Appalachian State 0
ELON, N.C. ? Caroline Lemke committed just one error in 13 attempts for a .692 attack percentage to help lift Elon to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-17) win over Appalachian State Friday night in Alumni Gym. The win completes the sweep of the Mountaineers as Elon defeated the team 3-2 on Sept. 27. Elon improves to 18-12 overall and 5-7 in the conference. Appalachian State drops to 5-21 and 1-11 in league play.
Lemke was the only member of the Phoenix squad to earn double-digit kills with 10. Three more players in Sarah Schermerhorn, Lauren Copenhagen, and Mandy Wilson each tallied nine kills to lead Elon to a .237 hitting percentage. Emily Regan paced the offensive attack with a match-high 34 assists.
Lemke also led the team in blocks with five, including one solo block. Wilson notched the only other solo block and assisted in three more. In total, the Phoenix recorded eight blocks on the night and held Appalachian State to a .098 hitting percentage. Blakewood led the team in digs with 11.
Appalachian State started the set strong, jumping out to a 6-2 lead before a kill by Copenhagen sparked a three-point run that brought the game within one at 5-6. Elon used a Schermerhorn kill to take the lead at the 8-7 mark, but would allow Appalachian State to tie the set at eight. Leading 10-9, Elon pulled out to a 15-9 lead behind the service of Regan. The Phoenix maintained the lead for the remainder of set one, now allowing ASU to come within more than four. Elon a set one win off a Schermerhorn kill.
The team battled in the opening possessions of the second set, tying three times before either team reached six points. Appalachian State scored consecutive points to take a 5-7 lead, but Elon answered with two of its own to knot the score for a fourth time at seven. With Caroline Sedon serving, the Mountaineers scored six straight to gain a 13-7 lead. Elon put together three, three-point runs to eventually take an 18-17 lead. The teams tied set two at 18 and 19 before Elon scored the final two points of the set to win 25-20.
Lemke recorded seven of her 10 kills in the final set as the Mountaineers could not find an answer to her offensive attack. Elon trailed the final set early, but managed to take the lead at the 8-7 mark. The Phoenix only allowed ASU two point over 15 possessions, as the team coasted to a 16-8 lead. A four point run by Appalachian State allowed the team to narrow Elon’s lead to five at 19-15. ASU scored just three more points as Elon took set three 25-17 and the match 3-0.
The Phoenix returns to the court tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. when it welcomes Western Carolina to Alumni Gym. Western Carolina took the first match of the season between the teams 3-2. Full coverage, including live stats and video streaming will be available for the match.