Volleyball Falls to Elon in Five Sets to Close Out Mercer Invitational

Saturday, September 14

Macon, Ga. / Hawkins Arena

10 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. ET

Southern Miss

3-6,0-0Sun Belt

Elon

6-5,0-0CAA

Elon

Southern Miss.

Volleyball Falls to Elon in Five Sets to Close Out Mercer Invitational

9/14/2024 2:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MACON, Ga.- Southern Miss Volleyball falls to Elon in a five-set match to close out the weekend at the Mercer Invitational.

Southern Miss started strong in the first set, but Elon kept the score close.

Kills from Brynn Botkin and an ace from Lindsey Smith helped the Golden Eagles offensively.

Kaylee Lowther was also able to make good defensive plays against the Phoenix. However, Elon was able to with the first set 26-24 to close out set one.

Elon gained momentum in the second set, keeping their errors to a minimum. Southern Miss tried to keep the Phoenix at bay with blocks from Madison Baldridge and Izzy Kroneberg.

Despite a push, the Golden Eagles couldn't recover, and Elon took the second set 25-20.

Southern Miss rallied in the third set. Strong plays from Botkin, who had 17 kills overall, helped Southern Miss gain the advantage.

The Golden Eagles forced Elon into making crucial errors, pushing through the set to win it 25-23.

The Golden Eagles forced the fifth set by winning 26-24 in the fourth.

Kronenberg found a weakness in Elon's serve-receive, earning three back-to-back aces.

Panunzio placing the ball across the net was essential for the offense, while Sunni Sheppard's consistent defense helped secure the set.
In a dramatic fifth set, Southern Miss battled hard with kills from Botkin, McAda and Kronenberg.

Unfortunately, Elon pulled away in the final moments finishing the set 15-13.

McAda led the team with 24 kills, hitting at a .286 percentage. She also contributed 10 digs and 2 blocks, making her a key player both offensively and defensively.

Botkin added 17 kills with a .217 hitting percentage and earned four total blocks.

Panunzio played a crucial role as the setter, dishing out 48 assists. She also contributed 9 digs and 2 blocks.

Southern Miss drops to 3-6 overall (0-0 SBC) while Elon advances to 6-5 (0-0 CAA).

The Golden Eagles are back on the road to Jackson, Mississippi on Wednesday, September 18th to play Jackson State in a 6 p.m. match.