Nebraska Wesleyan Box Score
UW-Oshkosh Box Score

ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College volleyball team opened the 2009 season by dropping a pair of matches at the Elmhurst Invitational. The Bluejays dropped a heartbreaking five-set match to Nebraska Wesleyan University, before falling in four sets to fourth-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

NEBRASKA WESLEYAN 3, ELMHURST 2 - The season opening match was a disappointment for the Bluejays, as Elmhurst lost a 2-0 lead to fall to Nebraska Wesleyan 25-17, 25-23, 18-25, 14-25, 13-15.

Elmhurst raced out to a quick 2-0 lead, but Nebraska Wesleyan fought back to take the third and fourth sets and even the match. In the decisive fifth set, the score was knotted as 12-12 before the Prairie Wolves rattled off two straight points. Elmhurst fought off one match point, but the match ended when a Bluejays' serve went into the net.

Caitlin O'Hara led Elmhurst with 13 kills while Callie Schriner finished with nine. Lindy Melville totaled 27 assists while Jameela Chaudhry led the team in digs with 21. Lisa Burger finished with nine blocks while Paige Fombelle recorded nine kills and seven blocks in the loss.

UW-OSHKOSH 3, ELMHURST 1 - The Bluejays played a hard fought match with the fourth-ranked Titans, but fell short in the end falling 21-25, 21-25, 29-27, 21-25.

O'Hara led Elmhurst in the loss with 17 kills. Chaudhry added 23 digs and three aces while Antonéya Veasy Smith collected six kills in the loss. Emily Hilliker totaled a team-high 20 assists while Fombelle led the team in blocks with five.

Elmhurst faces Mount St. Joseph College on Saturday, September 5, at 10:00 a.m., and then closes out the tournament against the University of Chicago at 2:00 p.m.