This offseason, the Elon University volleyball team added six new players, a rather large recruiting class. Made up of five freshmen and a transfer student, the newcomers look to energize Elon’s efforts in its second year as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
Freshman defensive specialist, Maddie Jaudon earned an academic all-conference selection from 2012-14 at Batavia High School, in Batavia, Illinois. Jaudon was an Illinois state scholar and a member of the National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society.
A standout athlete, she received all-area, all-conference and all-state honors during her senior year. She is no stranger to success, having won the national championship with her club team, Sports Performance, as a senior.
“It was a really close game, we were about to go to a third game,” she said. “It was a really great feeling to pull it out in the end.”
A defensive specialist and outside hitter, freshman Erin Kelly was captain for both her high school and club teams. The Raleigh native was named team MVP and earned a spot on the all-state team as a senior at Ravenscroft School. She was named to the all-conference team for three consecutive years, 2012 to 2014.
Kelly also found success outside of school. She helped her club team, NC Elite, go to the Atlantic Coast Power League Championship in 2014.
Although she has narrowed her focus to two positions, Kelly has played every position on the court during her volleyball career, adding to her versatility.
She looks forward to her time at Elon.
“I love it,” she said. “The girls are great, the coaches are great, it’s a great fit for me.”
Freshman middle blocker Alexa Pavlick comes to Elon after helping her club team, Renaissance, qualify for nationals three years in a row. Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pavlick was a four-year letterwinner at Mt. Lebanon High School. She was also a three-time all-section first team selection, and helped Mt. Lebanon win section championships in 2011 and 2012, as well as a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League title in 2012.
Pavlick has found her place quickly with the Phoenix.
“All the upperclassmen have been great with welcoming us and just explaining things,” she said. “Even little things you wouldn’t necessarily think about. They’re always there for advice. At practice it’s really nice, because everyone’s working hard and everyone’s going toward the same goal.”
For freshman Kam Terry, the road to Elon has been eventful. The outside hitter is originally from Marengo, Ohio.
“I come from a really small village, and not many athletes come out of there,” she said. “Not many people [from Marengo] go to college period.”
Terry made a habit of setting records in high school, setting single season records in kills and aces. She also helped her school, Highland, to a pair of central district championships, as well as two division championships and two regional runner-up titles.
Terry’s prowess for success translated to the classroom, where she was a member of the national honor society, and ranked number one in her graduating class academically.
Freshman setter Rox Wood is originally from Eads, Tennessee. She was a three-time MVP and team captain at St. George’s Independent School. Wood was also an instrumental part of the team’s success, as they won the Division II-A state championship in 2010 and 2011, as well as the Division II-A regional championship in 2012 and 2013. She was named to Tennessee’s all-state team in 2012 and 2013.
For Wood, coming to Elon was a natural choice.
“I looked at a lot of different schools,” she said. “I knew I wanted to be in North Carolina. The campus is beautiful, and the team was awesome.”
For Ebony Scott, Elon is a chance for a fresh start. The junior outside hitter originally committed to Michigan State where she was redshirted and played in a total of 12 matches in two seasons. She yearned for a more personal experience, which she found with the Phoenix.
“I really liked the team chemistry when I came,” she said. “Everyone seemed like a family, which I didn’t have previously.”
Scott was a dual-sport athlete in high school, playing volleyball and running track. On the court, she was named to the first-team-district and received Powhatan High School’s MVP award as a senior. On the track, she won all-state, all-region, all-district and all-metro awards, competing in the triple jump, long jump and shot put.
As the Phoenix gets set to start the season, the new players are adjusting to collegiate competition.
“It’s a learning experience for the newcomers,” said head coach Mary Tendler. “There’s a lot of things that are different than what they’re used to. They’re learning a position on the court that we’re looking for, and learning their teammates, so it’s a process with them.”