This is your inside look at all things Elon Athletics brought to you by members of our staff. You will hear from different voices throughout the Elon Department of Athletics during the season. Go Phoenix!

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Kelsey Evans Blog - BRING ON MARCH MADNESS!!!!!

Written by Elon Phoenix on 3:00 PM


Hello basketball fans!

I know you all are just as excited as I am that it is finally the best time of year: March! We have been dutifully preparing for our conference tournament this weekend in Chattanooga that I'll talk about a little later. I have quite a few off court stories today, some which might get me in trouble for sharing with you! (make sure you watch the video of Coach Christian on the drum set). 

We will start with last weekend and our trip to Charleston, S.C. to play College of Charleston. Well if you've read my previous blog you may remember our bus driver, Tom, who I like to call Mr. Tom Tom (like the navigation system.. I know, I'm SO clever). Well Mr. Tom Tom is not your ordinary bus driver; he goes above and beyond his bus driving duties. I'm not going to name anybody, but we have a few people on the team that have a slight dependency on Starbucks, and when I say slight I'm completely underestimating it. Let's just say, Mr. Tom Tom came to the rescue one night, and like I said before he goes above and beyond his duties, by pulling our charter bus into a front row parking spot. 


Coach Barefoot may run this team, but she would have to run over all 17 of us before we let her get in the driver's seat of that charter bus... She's was a little excited about getting to our game! 


Once we finally made it to Charleston we rested up for our afternoon game on Saturday. Saturday, which was also Candice's birthday, was a successful day for us as a team, but not so much for poor Candice. Unfortunately, Candice had to leave the game due to a concussion... and on her birthday! The poor girl, we always joke that she is reckless but going and getting a concussion on your birthday is taking reckless to a whole new level! She's feeling much better and should make a full recovery hopefully soon! 

Ever feeling stressed? Ask Coach Christian what she likes to do to relieve stress! BUT don't ask Coach Barefoot because it will result in some sort of "dancing" and they are both going to KILL me for posting this video, but it was too good not to share with the world.

video

Well it's obvious that we do enjoy having a good time, but we also know when its time to buckle down and that time is right aboutttttt..... now! We leave for the tournament today and play Saturday morning against Furman. We've been preparing all week for what will be a tough weekend of basketball. Everyone brings their best game to the tournament and it's time for everyone to step their game up. This is the best time of year, and thanks to a pep talk from Mr. Richard Brenner, we know that entering this post season we control our own destiny. We also understand that it could be gone in any moment, and we can't take a single play or game, or second for granted. This is truly my favorite week of the year preparing for the tournament and then playing in the tournament. It doesn't get any better than this. The emotion and passion for the game is at its highest and that's what I love the most. I can't wait for what this weekend will bring and I hope everyone keeps up with us as we take on one game at a time. 

"Wherever you go, go with all of your heart" 

See you in Chattanooga!!! 
Kelsey 

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Kelsey Evans Blog - Get in the Zone...The Pink Zone!

Written by Elon Phoenix on 9:43 AM


Hi Phoenix Fans!!

Hope everyone is having a great week, and had a wonderful Valentine's day like we did! It's been a while since I've updated you all on our activities on and off the court. We just came off two weekend wins and are currently preparing for our PINK ZONE game this Saturday against Samford, which is also a TV game! Saturday is such a great opportunity for us to show support for those that have or are currently battling with breast cancer. If you read my previous blog you know about Kay Yow being a pioneer for women's basketball, and how she began that journey at Elon! She is such an inspiration to women, and we hope to convey that inspiration with our determination and fight on Saturday. 

I'm really excited about telling everyone about our recent activities, especially off the court. One of our teammates, Lei Lei Hairston, had a great idea of doing some kind of regular volunteering in the community as a team. She came to us with the idea of volunteering at the Alamance Cancer Center in Burlington, which allows us to go visit with patients on a regular basis. We're split up in groups of two that go on different shifts between classes and practices. It is a great opportunity for us to get out in the community and show our reciprocated support! Great job Lei Lei!!

Another activity we did this past week was visit Hillcrest Elementary School in Burlington and talk to fourth and fifth grade students about being a student-athlete and setting goals. Each player contributed something different, but the main goal of our visit was to emphasize the importance of setting goals, working hard in the classroom, and never giving up on your dreams. Even the Phoenix came along! The kids loved it, and hopefully it will motivate them to set short and long-term goals, and get on top of their grades, which is the most important thing.

Saturday was a special day for a teammate of ours. Saturday was Tiara Gause's 21st birthday! The coaches attempted to tape her to a chair so she could get her birthday licks, but Tiara might be the quickest person I know, and their little scheme didn't last long. After our win against Wofford, we were able to celebrate her birthday with cake and a little reception. It's nice to take some time out of a busy season to celebrate a birthday (and the cake was awesome)!!


Monday's one point win over Furman was quite the heartbreaker for Furman (clever huh? Valentines day.... heart breaker... you get the idea). Ali Ford came up big with two treys at the end of the game to put us up two, and Aiesha Harper did as well making both ends of her one-and-one to give us a four-point cushion. Furman came down and hit a three and fouled with less than a second left, allowing us to seal the game. A win ALWAYS makes for a better ride home! 

It’s an exciting weekend for us, I told you a little bit about Pink Zone, but we also have a very bittersweet night coming up that being Senior Night. Monday night's game against Chattanooga will be our final home game of the season, which is crazy to think it went by that fast. We will honor our three seniors, Julie Taylor, Gabby Oloye and Jess Luedtke, and all their hard work and dedication over the course of their careers here at Elon. I'm extremely fortunate to know each one of them and they have each inspired me in a different way. Three truly special people will leave our program this year, but they have left their mark on this school and on our hearts. I won't get sentimental, but I really encourage everyone to be there on Monday night to send them off in style, because if anyone deserves it, they do.

DONT FORGET: 
PINK ZONE: Saturday at 2 p.m. against Samford
SENIOR NIGHT: Monday at 7 p.m. against Chattanooga

Thanks for reading, see you soon! 

- Big Kelsey

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Kelsey Evans Blog - Keeping Busy!

Written by Elon Phoenix on 1:40 PM


Hello fans! I hope everyone is have a great week thus far. It's been another busy week for the team, but since we don't play until next Monday we've had a few days to rest our bodies and minds a little bit. 

This past week we had our annual Education Day game in Alumni Gym. Elementary schools from all over the area came to participate and support us in our non-conference match up against Southern Virginia. It's my favorite game we play all year. The gym is always packed with screaming balls of energy, and makes the environment so much fun to play in. A special thanks goes out to all the elementary schools that participated this year and we hope you see you next year as well! I've attached some pictures from the game and after the game that you might enjoy!


After Thursday's Education Day game it was time for us to prepare for our Southern Conference matchup Kagainst Western Carolina, who we lost to earlier in the season. We were able to overcome the Catamounts this time around beating them by 27 points. We pride ourselves on our defense, and on Saturday it was obvious why. We held the Catamounts to four field goals in the first half, and a total of 11 for the entire game. It was so exciting to come together as a team and really buckle down on defense to get the win. That gym is a difficult environment to play in, but we were able to stay mentally and physically tough for the entire 40 minutes. I was extremely proud of the way everyone played, and the enthusiasm we had for one another.

As some of you might know, every Tuesday night the Fat Frogg hosts the basketball radio show for both Coach Barefoot and Coach Matheny. Coach Barefoot called me to ask if I would come say a few words about the win in Cullowhee over the weekend. I'm very glad I went because once the radio show was over Coach Barefoot was honored with a plaque for her recent accomplishment with our win at Wofford. Coach Barefoot recently eclipsed her 200th win at Wofford, and Tuesday night she was acknowledged for this awesome achievement. Congratulations Coach Barefoot.....you made the blog!!! 


Don't worry, I'm not finished yet. I saved the best story for last. Wednesday afternoon we took a team field trip to honor and recognize Elon women's basketball's history. Little did I know this would be more than just a history lesson, but a life lesson as well. We took at trip to the legendary Coach Kay Yow's grave yesterday to step back and reflect upon the woman who was not only a pioneer for Elon women's basketball but for women's basketball everywhere. This trip really opened my eyes and made me realize that it's bigger than this. Tomorrow is not promised, and sometimes we get wrapped up in what we're doing and take the gift's that we do have for granted. Every member of our team has a gift, and to be in the position that we're in is truly a blessing. You can't foresee a season ending injury, or even a career ending injury. You can't foresee what tomorrow will bring, but what you can do is take each moment and make the best of it. Squeeze it for everything it's worth and never let a moment pass by because you don't want to look back with regret. That's what Coach Yow taught me yesterday afternoon, and that's something that I'll never forget. 


We hit the road again soon to take on Georgia Southern on Monday night, but we'll be back at home on Feb. 10 against UNCG for our White Out game!. Don't forget to mark you calendars for Feb. 19, which is our PINK ZONE game in honor of Coach Yow and the battle every woman has faced to beat this horrible disease. We want to raise more money than we ever have before, but we need your help to do it. Please come out and support us on that day and help us fight the battle against breast cancer. Have a wonderful weekend everyone, talk to you soon!

- Kelsey 

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"PERUsing with Traci Stewart"

Written by Elon Phoenix on 2:32 PM

Elon volleyball's Traci Stewart is spending the winter term studying abroad in Peru. Read all about her Peruvian adventures as she shares them with Phoenix fans on our blog.


I can't believe the time has come for me to leave this unbelievable place. It's a bitter sweet feeling to say the least. We had a toast tonight to an incredible journey full of laughter and smiles. This place is indescribable. One of a kind. And I wouldn't have wanted to be here with anyone else but the people I have met along the way. From Raul to my core group of friends, people shape who you are, these people and this place have changed me. I have been able to see things through a bigger lens. I've been blinded for so long, living in my Elon, North Carolina bubble, where I'm comfortable. It's my home. However, I have another home now - Peru. I have seen so many things in the past 24 days that people long to see in a lifetime. What a beautiful place, what beautiful people. I hope I am meant to return here again someday, but if I'm not, I will always hold the memories I have made here. The memories that have shaped me, the people who I have grown to love and will love forever.

Thanks to all of you who have enjoyed this journey with me from afar. I hope I could share with you a small glimpse of this place with you, although words don't do this place justice. Here's to Peru.


Traci

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"PERUsing with Traci Stewart"

Written by Elon Phoenix on 5:30 PM

Elon volleyball's Traci Stewart is spending the winter term studying abroad in Peru. Read all about her Peruvian adventures as she shares them with Phoenix fans on our blog.


Quote of the day: "There will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever- improving path...But this, far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb." -Winston Churchill

Last day at Machu Picchu - WOW. Yesterday was a 4 a.m. wake up call. I didn't even remember picking up the wake up call. We were out the door and off to the bus station at 4:45. We then waited for an hour in the dark at the bus station just to get to the gates of Machu Picchu and wait in line - even longer.

There are two hikes you can do: Machu Picchu mountain (which is straight up the whole way in stairs) or Waynapicchu (where you have to sign your life away before going on the hike). Megan and I chose this one for the experience and to be out of our comfort zone. Only 400 people a day get to go on this hike, that's why we had to get there so early. We got lost for a little while in the ruins before reaching the starting point of Waynapicchu, but once we reached the starting point, we were up, up, up, and away. Raul said if you are afraid of heights, he highly advised you not to go. For most of the hike, there were ropes attached to the side of the mountain that you had to use to thrust yourself up the mountain. It has never felt so good to reach the top of a mountain before. Once you reach the top, you can either go down the way you came or go past the great caves. For the record, it was wet and rainy when we started the hike and didn't know if we would be able to see anything because in the cloud forest, you never know what the weather will be like. Luckily, once we reached the top of Waynapicchu, the sky cleared up and we could see the range of beautiful green mountains around us.

Anyways, we decided to go back down the long way, past the great caves where the Incas buried their mummies. Megan and I took a picture in one of the tombs - a little sketchy if you ask me, but really awesome to be there. We thought we were hiking down the mountain, which we were for some of it. Down some ladders and lots of slippery stairs until we reached the caves, then we had to go back up the mountain to get somehwhat closer to the finish line. We were huffing and puffing to say the least. We were also ready to eat lunch. I think I ate my snickers bar in 2 bites. Then, we started the hike of the sun gate. We pretty much speed walked the whole way and it was raining the whole time. We made it up in 30 minutes and down in 30 minutes. It was worth it. Everything is worth it here.

We were going to hike Machu Picchu today, but it was really rainy and cloudy, so we decided for our own safety, we would just explore the ruins for one more day - getting lost in and out of the Incas incredible masterpiece. Now, we are about to get on the train back to Cuzco. My time here is quickly approaching it's finish line. Although I will be sad to see this journey end, I know, God-willing, I will be back here again someday.

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Kelsey Evans Blog - Finish Strong!

Written by Elon Phoenix on 3:20 PM

Well fans, it's been a long, tough week of basketball for us. Since the last time I checked in we've played UNCG, College of Charleston and Appalachian State.

We'll start with Greensboro. Most of you may know about Ali Ford's dramatic finish to this game, but you’re in for a treat if you don’t. The entire game was a battle, and in the second half we found ourselves down by 11 points with ten minutes or so to go. We forge a tremendous comeback into the last minute of the game. Everyone stepped up and made key plays down the stretch. With about a minute or so to go we're down three. We come down, run a play, nobody's open. Lei Lei Hairston gets the ball starts to drive sees that the girl is way off, steps back and nails the three. Tie ball game. They have the ball with less than 30 seconds and they try to run the clock down for a last second shot, but with our pressure and defense we force a travel. We take the ball out of bounds with six seconds or so. Throw it in, gets tipped out of bounds by Greensboro. Throw it in again with about five seconds, Ali (from behind half court), takes the ball the length of the court and right before my eyes I witnessed her tiny little body jump from nearly the free throw line, scoop under her defender and BANK, it's good! Buzzer sounds! We win!!! The rush of adrenaline was unlike anything I've ever felt. We had an enormous cheering section, so thank you to everyone that came out! You truly made a difference.

If that wasn't exciting enough for you how does an overtime game sound? We figured our fans would enjoy that... (insert sarcasm here). The following Saturday (we played UNCG on Wednesday) we played College of Charleston at home. We were again behind by  11 points with about three minutes to go. Fortunately, we had Julie Taylor and Ali Ford knock down key shots to put us back in the game. I'll save you all the drama, but instead of us having the ball in the final seconds of play CofC had the ball with 12.7 seconds to go. Luckily Charleston was not able to score in those final seconds and we continued the game into overtime. We outscored them 9-2 in overtime and sealed the second thrilling victory of the week.

If anything was learned from those two games it was how to be tough, not only physically, but also mentally, down the stretch. I was extremely proud of the way we finished those two games and managed to pull out a win. In the end, it’s only W's and L's. Sometimes it may not be pretty, but as long as you get the job done that's all that matters. The Appalachian game taught us that as well. Even though we were down, we never stopped fighting. Unfortunately, we weren't victorious in that battle, but lessons with be learned and we will move on to the next one... but we did have quite the fan section for this game, faces painted and all!


I just want to give a special shout out to all of our loyal fans. It makes a tremendous difference having everyone at the games believing in us and everything we do!! You guys are awesome!

Hope to see everyone at EDUCATION DAY on Thursday at 11 a.m.!!! Have a great rest of the week!

- Big Kelsey

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"PERUsing with Traci Stewart"

Written by Elon Phoenix on 10:49 AM

Elon volleyball's Traci Stewart is spending the winter term studying abroad in Peru. Read all about her Peruvian adventures as she shares them with Phoenix fans on our blog.


Today we visited Raul's hometown of Chinchero, where he was born and raised. A quaint town in the Andes. Home to the center for traditional textiles where both his Mom and Grandma works. It is a place where women weave the finest clothes, socks, hats, scarves, you name it, in order to preserve the designs of the Incan culture. There were all different kinds of women, young and old, but with the same thing in common, preserving a culture. We watched them weave for awhile and we had a tour of how they make the yarn from alpaca wool to the dying of the wool to make beautiful colors. After our tour and walking around for a bit, we all got to try weaving ourselves. It was really hard to catch on to at first, and my helper laughed at me often, but then I started to get the hang of it and probably sat there weaving for a good hour. We got to keep our design. Sitting there, weaving with women who have done this their entire life was a humbling experience. To be immersed in such a crtical part of Peruvian history and culture was a gift.

After weaving, we went to Raul's aunt's house for lunch right across from the textiles center. I tried guinea pig for the first time. They brought it out on a plate. The entire guinea pig - full body picture. If I hadn't have seen that, it probably would have made it taste a little better. However, since I saw a childhood pet in front of me on a platter, it didn't taste as good as I would have hoped. After lunch, we toured Chinchero, visited the town square and the church that Raul was brought up in. It was beautiful perched in the Andes looking over Inca ruins.

We then toured Moray ruins which was yet another intricate Incan design of architecture. We then drove past the Salineras salt complex where there were buckets full of salt as far as the eye could see. Pretty cool.

Tomorrow we are off to Macchu Picchu. As Raul calls it - the new eighth wonder of the world. We will be arriving by train and will be there for three days so I won't have access to a computer. But don't worry, I will take pictures and soak it all in so I can tell you about it when we return. I can't believe we are finally going to Macchu Picchu tomorrow. It's been two years and counting.


Traci

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Elon University embraces the mission of an academic community that influences and transforms mind, body and spirit. The Elon University Intercollegiate Athletics program seeks to offer opportunities that enrich the lives of student-athletes and are consistent with and complementary to the University's mission.

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