Phoenix Hold Off Bulldogs in Volleyball Season Finale

Final	1	2	3	4	5	T
Citadel (8-22 (1-15 SoCon))	21	14	19			0
Elon (19-13 (7-9 SoCon))	25	25	25			3

Citadel	Elon
K: Rachael Farrell - 7 B: Rachael Farrell - 5 D: Amanda Rudnik - 9 SA: 3 Players (#12, #15, #7 - 1)	K: Chanelle Smith - 10 B: Celia Eddy - 3 D: 2 Players (#6, #2 - 11) SA: Chanelle Smith - 3

TEAM STATISTICS	Citadel	Elon
Hitting %	.053	.217
Blocks	7.0	4.0
Digs	31	43
Aces	3	6

full stats

Elon, N.C. – The trio of Rachael Farrell, Amanda Rudnik and Ise d'Angelo combined for 18 kills but it was not enough to deter Elon from winning by scores of 25-21, 25-14 and 25-19 in the 2011 season finale at Elon on Sunday.

Farrell finished with seven kills, while Rudnik (six kills) and d'Angelo (five kills) rounded out the front row. The three also accounted for the Bulldogs defensive numbers, as Rudnik finished with nine digs, while Farrell and d'Angelo tallied eight and six digs, respectively. Teammate Kathryn Johnston put the finishing touches on her four-year career with five digs and four assisted blocks. Alexa Dahlstrom handed out 19 assists as The Citadel closed at 8-22 overall and 1-15 in the Southern Conference.

Meanwhile, Chanelle Smith (10 kills) was one of four players to account for eight or more kills for Elon, along with Caroline Lemke (nine), Traci Stewart (nine) and Celia Eddy (eight). The Phoenix finished with 43 team kills and a .217 attack percentage. Defensively, Elon was anchored by Ali Deatsch and Megan McMahon, who each recorded 11 digs. The Phoenix wrapped up their regular season at 19-13, 7-9.

The Citadel opened the match strong with early kills by d'Angelo, Farrell and Jessica Maxwell, establishing a 5-2 lead. Elon bounced back with a 10-4 run and regained the lead, 12-9, behind two kills each by Stewart and Eddy. A series of Phoenix errors allowed the Dogs to tie the set at 14-14, before d'Angelo forced consecutive attack errors for the two-point advantage. With the set deadlocked 19-19 a pair of Smith service aces combined with two kills by Stewart down the stretch clinched the 25-21 Phoenix victory.

The back-and-forth battle continued early in the second set, which included six ties among the first 22 points. Among those early points for the Bulldogs included two kills each by Rudnik and Farrell. Knotted at 11-11, four kills by Smith amid a 7-2 Phoenix run made for the 18-13 advantage. The Citadel earned just one kill by d'Angelo in the final stages of the game before falling by a 25-14 final.

Elon jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the third set, but kills by d'Angelo, Maxwell, Rudnik and Farrell kept The Citadel within striking distance, 9-6. The Phoenix found their offensive rhythm and took advantage of kills by Lemke, Stewart Smith and Carly Ledbetter to make for an 18-12 score. Kills by Farrell and Rudnik, along with five Elon errors were not enough to keep from Elon earning the win, 25-19.

For more information on Bulldog Volleyball, go to the official website of The Citadel Athletics, www.CitadelSports.com.