ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst University volleyball team dropped its opening CCIW contest of the season, falling in four sets to Illinois Wesley University at R.A. Faganel Hall.
 
Illinois Wesleyan (6-5/1-0 CCIW) picked up the win with scores of 25-21, 25-20, 19-25, 26-24.
 
The opening set featured five ties and three lead changes as the two teams exchanged points for much of the set. Elmhurst led 17-15 and again at 19-17 before IWU won the next three points to move in front at 20-19. The Bluejays pulled even at 20-all, but the Titans won the next two points and finished the set on a 5-1 run to go in front one set to none .
 
The second set was nearly identical to the first with the two teams exchanging leads five times and the scoring being tied eight times. Leading 15-14, Illinois Wesleyan grabbed control with a 5-1 run to go up 20-15. The Bluejays pulled to within two points at 20-18 but came no closer as the Titans put the set away at 25-20.
 
Elmhurst (1-4/0-1 CCIW) dominate the third set from the start, leading wire-to-wire. The Bluejays led by as many as 11 points at 20-19 before holding off a late surge from the Titans to put away the set at 25-19 on an Emily Duis ace.
 
Illinois Wesleyan led for much of the fourth set, building an early 14-9 lead. The Titans held four match points at 24-20 only to have the Bluejays rattle off four consecutive points to knot the set at 24-all. An Elmhurst service error and a kill from Jessica McCall gave the Titans the 26-24 win to put away the contest.
 
Elmhurst hit .205 for the contest with 57 kills and 22 errors in 171 attempts. The Titans hit .184 with 52 kills and 22 errors in 163 attempts.
 
Duis, Elise Rossing and Taylor Zurliene all reached double figures in kills for the Bluejays. Duis and Rossing totaled 14 kills apiece while Zurliene finished with 10 kills and a match-high 26 digs. Jada Wiley added nine kills in the loss for Elmhurst. Valerie Thomas added 13 digs and Emily Finkbeiner totaled 11 for the Bluejays. Kellyn Kennedy finished with 21 assists while Erin Murray totaled 19.
 
Grace Sanders paced IWU in the win with 12 kills and 20 digs. Jessica McCall, Evy Makris and Morgan Harrington all totaled nine kills in the victory.
 
Elmhurst plays at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Invitational this weekend (October 17-18).