Volleyball To Host Appalachian State In Home Opener

Women's Volleyball 9/7/2026 2:44:00 PM Elon Athletics Volleyball To Host Appalachian State In Home Opener Phoenix Begins Five-Match Home Slate Versus Mountaineers ELON – The Elon volleyball team returns to Schar Center for its home opener against Appalachian State on Tuesday. First serve between the Phoenix (2-5) and Mountaineers (2-4) is scheduled for 6 p.m. FOLLOW THE PHOENIX Live Stats – Statbroadcast Watch – FloCollege/FloSports Channel on Prime Video WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO Elon's volleyball's matchup against Appalachian State will be available to stream free on the FloSports Channel on Prime Video as part of a new distribution agreement between FloSports and Prime Video. A FloCollege subscription is not required to watch the game on the FloSports Channel. The contest will also be available through FloCollege as part of the CAA's full live broadcast schedule. SERIES HISTORY Elon trails the all-time series against its intrastate rival, 9-22, dating back to 1972. The Phoenix, however, has won six of those matches on its home floor. Last season, the two programs met for the first time since 2013. The Mountaineers won in straight sets in Boone, N.C., for their second straight victory in the series and third in the past four meetings. Cameron Lanier led the Phoenix with 10 kills and a .240 hitting percentage. The Phoenix's last win in the series came in 2012, when Elon swept the Mountaineers at home. LAST TIME OUT The Phoenix competed at the Chick-fil-A Robinson/Pittsburgh Classic last weekend, facing Robert Morris, Duquesne and Eastern Michigan. Elon won its opening match of the tournament in straight sets at Robert Morris on Friday. The Maroon and Gold, however, fell at Duquesne and against Eastern Michigan, both in straight sets, to close out the weekend. Lanier recorded 35 kills during the tournament, averaging 3.89 kills per set. Anna Sewell ranked second on the squad with 23 kills, while Allie Schultz and Catherine Rucker each posted 17. Rucker earned All-Tournament honors after posting a .424 attack percentage. The junior middle blocker also recorded a team-high seven total blocks. EARLY-SEASON LEADERS Lanier is the Phoenix's overall leader with 82 kills, averaging 3.38 kills per set. The Chapel Hill native has recorded double-digit kills in six of her seven matches and ranks sixth in the CAA in kills per set. Lanier also ranks sixth in the league in points per set at 3.85 and is one of two CAA players with at least 100 points. Junior Anna Sewell ranks second on the squad with 62 kills at 2.38 kills per set. Caroline Berlekamp is third with 43 kills while posting a .340 attack percentage. She and Catherine Rucker (.329) both rank in the top 10 in the CAA in attack percentage. Junior Kayla Palmer leads the Maroon and Gold with 133 assists at 5.12 assists per set. The Ithaca, N.Y., native ranks eighth in the CAA in assists per set. Teammate April Rice has 109 assists at 4.19 assists per set. Casey Brower has a team-high 82 digs from her libero position, averaging 3.15 digs per set. Freshman Lindsey Murphy ranks second with 51 digs at 1.96 per set. At the net, Berlekamp has recorded 24 total blocks, followed by Rucker with 20. SCOUTING APPALACHIAN STATE (2-4) The Mountaineers are 2-4 on the young season and went 0-3 at the Clemson Invitational last weekend, falling to East Carolina, UNCG and Clemson. Prior to last weekend, Appalachian State won two of three matches at the Charlotte Invitational, defeating Charlotte and Bryant while dropping a five-setter to North Carolina A&T. Appalachian State is coming off a 15-12 campaign in 2025 while going 6-10 in Sun Belt play. The Mountaineers were picked to finish fourth in the East Division in the 2026 Sun Belt preseason poll. The Mountaineers have recorded 334 kills with a .240 attack percentage. Fifth-year outside hitter Brooke Doherty leads App State with 82 kills while averaging 3.15 kills per set. Junior outside hitter Bella Hutchens ranks second with 74 kills at 2.85 kills per set while posting a .246 attack percentage. Junior setter Raegan Richardson directs the Mountaineers' attack with 231 assists at 8.88 assists per set. Chad Sutton is in his second season leading the Appalachian State volleyball program. ELON AT A GLANCE The Phoenix is in its 55th season of volleyball and 28th campaign at the Division I level in 2026. Elon retained 11 letterwinners from last season, including several players who started at least one match. The Phoenix also welcomes four first-year athletes into the fold for 2026. Elon returns 54% of its kills, 98% of its assists, 66% of its digs and 57% of its points scored from 2025. One of the top returners for the Phoenix is senior outside hitter Cameron Lanier . The Chapel Hill native is Elon's returning leader in total points (240.5) and total kills (211). Junior Anna Sewell was the Phoenix's leader in points per set (2.91) and kills per set (2.69). Junior middle blocker Catherine Rucker received 2026 Preseason All-CAA honorable mention recognition. The Chapel Hill native posted the second-most kills among Elon returners with 131, averaging 1.46 kills per set. She also led the Phoenix with 30 service aces and 63 total blocks. Elon also returns the setter tandem of sophomore April Rice and junior Kayla Palmer . Rice led the Phoenix in total assists with 518, averaging 5.23 assists per set. Palmer ranked second with 399 assists while averaging 4.64 assists per set. Defensively, Elon welcomes back two of its top three players in total digs in senior Shannon O'Laughlin and junior Casey Brower . O'Laughlin is the Phoenix's returning leader with 201 digs, while Brower recorded 190. The pair split time at libero last season. Head coach Matt Troy is in his second season at the helm of the Phoenix volleyball program. Troy helped lead Elon to its best conference winning percentage since 2021 last season, highlighted by the Phoenix's first road win over perennial CAA power Towson since 2021. HOME SWEET HOME The Phoenix enters its ninth season at Schar Center, the 5,100-seat home of Elon's men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball programs. Elon will host 12 matches during the regular season at Schar Center. Admission is free for all fans. UP NEXT Elon continues its homestand by hosting Davidson and USC Upstate on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both matches will begin at 6 p.m. and stream on FloCollege. STAY POSTED For further coverage of Elon volleyball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonVB ) and Instagram (@ElonVB ). -- ELON -- Print Friendly Version Players Mentioned #11 Caroline Berlekamp MB 6' 2" Senior Mintonette Sports #4 Casey Brower L/DS 5' 7" Junior Greenwich Volleyball Club / Northeast Volleyball Club #13 Cameron Lanier OH 6' 1" Senior CHAVC #9 Shannon O'Laughlin L/DS 5' 9" Senior Adversity VBC #12 Kayla Palmer S 5' 7" Junior VolleyFX #7 April Rice S 5' 11" Sophomore Adversity VBC #17 Catherine Rucker MB 6' 0" Junior CHAVC #5 Allie Schultz OH 5' 11" Sophomore Defensa Volleyballs #14 Anna Sewell OH 6' 0" Junior MAVA #19 Lindsey Murphy L/DS 5' 6" Freshman CVC 18 Black Players Mentioned #11 Caroline Berlekamp 6' 2" Senior Mintonette Sports MB #4 Casey Brower 5' 7" Junior Greenwich Volleyball Club / Northeast Volleyball Club L/DS #13 Cameron Lanier 6' 1" Senior CHAVC OH #9 Shannon O'Laughlin 5' 9" Senior Adversity VBC L/DS #12 Kayla Palmer 5' 7" Junior VolleyFX S #7 April Rice 5' 11" Sophomore Adversity VBC S #17 Catherine Rucker 6' 0" Junior CHAVC MB #5 Allie Schultz 5' 11" Sophomore Defensa Volleyballs OH #14 Anna Sewell 6' 0" Junior MAVA OH #19 Lindsey Murphy 5' 6" Freshman CVC 18 Black L/DS