BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Elmhurst College volleyball team's quest for a CCIW Championship came up short as the Bluejays closed the regular season with a three-set loss at Illinois Wesleyan University.
Needing a win to secure a share of the CCIW title and earn the right to host the conference tournament, Elmhurst fell 16-25, 24-26, 16-25 to the Titans. Elmhurst, ranked 18th in the latest AVCA poll, fell to 21-11 overall and 6-2 in the CCIW. Illinois Wesleyan ended its season with a 20-9 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the CCIW.
Illinois Wesleyan jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in the first set and never looked back. The Titans led by as many as 10 points before cruising the 25-16 win.
The Titans pulled ahead 19-14 in the second set before Elmhurst roared back with a 9-2 run to take a 23-21 lead. The Titans won the next three points to surge in front at 24-23, but an IWU error evened the score at 24-24. Back-to-back kills from Tyler Brown and Heidi Dague ended the set for the Titans at 26-24.
Illinois Wesleyan never trailed in the third, establishing a quick 10-5 lead and never letting Elmhurst come closer than a four-point deficit the rest of the way. The Titans led by as many as 10 points before putting away the set and the match.
Elmhurst hit .122 for the contest with 33 kills and 19 errors in 115 swings.
Alli Rogers led the way for Elmhurst with 10 kills and seven digs.
Mary Lawrence added nine kills, nine digs and three blocks while
Hannah Nimrick totaled 22 assists, seven digs and four kills.
Amy Schryver tallied a team-best 12 digs.
Elmhurst could not slow down Tyler Brown. Brown paced the Titans' attack with 30 kills and 14 digs. Kyleigh Block added eight kills and 10 digs while Colleen Rynne added 21 assists.
Elmhurst will be the #2 seed in the CCIW Tournament and face third-seeded Wheaton College in the opening round at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 4. Millikin will host the tournament and the top-seeded Big Blue will face Carthage College in Friday's second semifinal at 7:00 p.m. The tournament championship game will be held on Saturday, November 5, at 2:00 p.m with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
