WILMINGTON, North Carolina - Senior outside hitter Kelli Clear recorded a match-high 15 kills to lead three UNCW players in double figures as the Seahawks rallied for a 3-2 (22-25, 24-26, 25-11, 25-14, 15-11) victory over Elon Saturday in action at the Hilton Garden Inn Beach Bash at Hanover Hall. UNCW was also victorious in the nightcap as it posted a 3-1 (17-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-19) triumph over longtime rival Campbell in the tournament finale.

The Seahawks improved to 5-8 on the season with the wins over the Phoenix and the Camels. UNCW, NC State and Campbell all finished in a three-way tie for the tournament championship with 2-1 records in the round-robin event. The Camels were declared the tournament champion based on point differential.  

Against Elon, Clear paced a balanced Seahawks attack that saw freshman outside hitter Samantha Seifert finish with 13 kills and freshman right side hitter Christi Laite chip in a career-best 10 as UNCW combined to hit .255 for the match.

Freshman defensive specialist Haley Collins led the way defensively for the Seahawks with a match-high 16 digs while Laite and junior middle hitter Emily Mohrman combined for 13 total blocks.

Junior outside hitter Caroline Lemke tallied 12 kills and junior right side hitter Traci Stewart pitched in 10 for Elon, who was limited to a .077 attack percentage for the contest. Junior setter Megan McMahon dished out a match-best 33 assists and added 13 digs for the double-double.

Elon rallied to win a back-and-forth game one that saw 13 ties and six lead changes as the Phoenix scored nine of the final 12 points to record the 25-22 victory. The Phoenix fought back late once again to take game two as they rattled off four straight points to close out the set, 26-24.

UNCW cruised victory in game three as an 8-0 run in the middle of the set gave the Seahawks a 17-7 advantage on their way to the 25-11 victory.

Elon jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in game four and held a 12-10 lead when an Elon attack error started a 14-3 UNCW run that gave the Seahawks a 25-15 game-four victory.

With the score tied at 4-all in the fifth and decisive game, UNCW scored four the next five points to build a 9-5 advantage. The Seahawks would hold their lead through the remainder of the set as they led by as many as five before posting a 15-11 triumph to take the match.

Versus Campbell, junior middle hitter Emily Mohrman posted a .550 attack percentage as she recorded a team-high 11 kills without an error in 20 attempts. Mohrman was joined in double figures by Clear, who added 10.

Collins led three UNCW players in double-digit digs with a career-best 19. Junior setter Kelsey Bendig posted 10 digs and added 16 assists for her third double-double of the season. Junior middle blocker Kimberly Friedl finished with eight total blocks, including three solo blocks.

Senior outside hitter Emily Werner recorded 11 kills to lead three Camels in double figures as outside hitters senior Allyson Goldbach and sophomore Jordan Reaves chipped in 10 each.

Werner and Goldbach would both end the match with double-doubles to their credit as Werner posted 15 digs and Goldbach added 14.  Junior middle blocker Annie Kobeski tallied six total block to highlight the Camels defensive efforts at the net.

Campbell never trailed in the opening game as it opened on a 5-1 run and built its lead to as many as 11 before finishing with a 25-17 victory.

Game two would serve as a back-and-forth affair that saw 11 tie and five lead changes as neither team was able to build an advantage of more than four points. Facing game point at 24-23, a kill by Seifert sparked UNCW to three unanswered points and a 26-24 win.

UNCW raced out to an early 11-2 cushion in game three and held a 23-19 advantage late in the set when the Camels scored four straight points to knot the score at 23-all. The Seahawks were able to pull out the victory as a kill by Mohrman and a block by Friedl and senior middle blocker Rachel Caricato gave UNCW a 25-23 victory.

With the score tied at 12-all in game four, a kill by Caricato ignited a 6-0 run that gave UNCW a lead they would not relinquish as they closed out the match with a 25-19 victory.   

Hilton Garden Inn Beach Bash All-Tournament Team*

Kelsey Campbell - Campbell
Ali Deatsch - Elon
Emily Mohrman - UNCW
Heather Wilson - Campbell
Tournament MVP - Allyson Goldbach - Campbell

* - All-Tournament Team not complete. Awaiting NC State's two selections