ELON, N.C. ­– Despite double-doubles from freshmen Lauren Merrill and Claire Farrell, the William & Mary volleyball team fell to Elon, 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-22), on the road Wednesday night. Merrill dazzled with 18 kills and 15 digs, while Farrell generated 10 kills and 12 digs to lead the Tribe (5-14, 1-9 CAA) against the Phoenix (13-9, 4-6 CAA).
 
The Phoenix started the first set with a four-point advantage, before the Tribe pulled even at 13-all behind a 4-1 spurt. Merrill smashed two kills and sophomore Julia Brown added a kill and block assist, highlighting a 7-0 spark for a 22-17 Tribe lead. Elon managed to make it a one-point affair, 23-22, before W&M claimed the last two points behind the swings of Merrill and Brown.
 
Elon responded in the second set by allowing just two lead changes in the period. Late in the frame, a W&M miscue granted the Phoenix a 20-15 margin. The Green and Gold reached 20 points, but EU needed just a kill from Elizabeth Coli to take game two.
 
In the third set, Merrill blasted her 13^th kill to even the stanza, 13-all, at the mid-point. A few possessions later, Brown and Farrell spiked back-to-back kills as the Tribe trailed by just one point, 16-15. Regardless, the Phoenix cranked out a late 9-2 run in claiming its second straight game.
 
Elon concluded the match with another late run in the fourth set. Immediately out of a timeout, senior Katie Kemp set up a kill for freshman Madeleine Bertz and sophomore Kate Dedrick as W&M trailed, 16-15. However, EU answered with three straight points to build its lead to 19-15. Brown smashed a kill and made a solo block, before Farrell served an ace to bring the Tribe within three, 21-19. Nonetheless, Elon regrouped during a timeout and secured the win behind a 4-1 jolt.
 
Inside the Numbers
- A duo of Dedrick (13) and Brown (11) also registered 10-plus kills
- Kemp led all players with 50 assists, while adding five digs and two aces.
- Sophomore Lauren Moussaid dove for a match-high 23 digs.
- Elon out served the Tribe in aces 11-to-4. 

Notes
Both meetings between Elon and W&M were decided in four sets this year…Dedrick registered a season-high attack percentage of .550…Merrill tallied season-highs in kills, digs and points (19.5)…It was Farrell's first-ever double-double…Moussaid tied her career-best in digs (23) for the second time, both occasions against Elon…Brown needs to make one more stuff to rank ninth in career blocks in the current scoring format at W&M…Kemp achieved a season-best in assists and served at least two aces for the third time this year.
  
Up Next
The Tribe is back in Williamsburg this weekend with a pair of home contests against Hofstra (Friday, Oct. 26 at 7 pm) and Northeastern (Sunday, Oct. 28 at 1 pm).