Liberty University
1-0,0-0ASUN
Elon
0-1,0-0CAA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elon | 16 | 22 | 16 | 0 |
| Liberty | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Liberty Races to Season-Opening Sweep of Elon
8/26/2022 4:43:09 PM | Women's Volleyball
Liberty opened its 2022 season with a resounding 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-16) sweep over Elon on Friday at VCU’s Siegel Center.
The Lady Flames (1-0) open their season with a victory for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, Elon dropped its season opener and will play twice tomorrow at the VCU Invitational. Liberty returns to the court tonight at 6 p.m. against the host VCU Rams.
Notable Numbers
• Liberty outhit Elon .292-.108 for the match, recording 15 more kills than the Phoenix (47-32). The Lady Flames also led in aces (5-2) and digs (50-41), while Elon held a 7-5 edge in blocks.
• Trinity Watts led all players with 16 kills, hitting a career-best .600 (16-1-25). Delaney Dilfer, making her first start as a Lady Flame after transferring from Lipscomb, totaled 35 assists and nine digs. Lydia Burts scored 10 kills, while Texas A&M transfer Erica Lowery collected 16 digs in her first match as a Lady Flame.
• Leah Daniel and Sydney Love tied for the Elon team lead with eight kills each, while Jordan Gower collected a team-high 14 digs. Lindsey Harris and Love both posted a match-high four blocks.
Turning Point
• Liberty burst out of the gates in set one, leading by as many as 12 points at 24-12. Elon chipped into the Lady Flames’ lead, but Liberty won 25-16.
• The Phoenix gained more traction in set two, hitting .263 compared to .341 for Liberty, but Watts proved to be too much with nine kills in a 25-22 Liberty win.
• The Lady Flames put the finishing touches on the sweep with a 25-16 set-three victory.
Quick Hits
• This is the first time since 2014 and 2015 that the Lady Flames have won their season opener in back-to-back years.
• Liberty now leads Elon 21-3 in the all-time series. The Lady Flames have won two straight meetings since Elon’s last win over the Lady Flames, Sept. 2, 2017 at the Vines Center.
• Liberty’s 25-16 set-one win was its largest margin of victory in the first set of a season since winning set one over San Jose State 25-9 on Aug. 29, 2014, in a tournament hosted by Elon.
• Liberty swept its opponent in its season opener for the first time since Aug. 28, 2015, when the Lady Flames defeated UNCG 3-0.
• Watts’ career-high .600 hitting percentage was the best by a Lady Flame since Rajini Fitzmaurice hit .667 (15-1-21) at NJIT on Oct. 25, 2019.
• Liberty’s 47 kills were the most by the Lady Flames in a three-set match since sending down 53 kills at Stetson on Nov. 12, 2019.
• Mangum was making her first appearance since sustaining a season-ending injury at Bellarmine on March 12, 2021, a span of 532 days.
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