KENOSHA, Wis. - The Elmhurst University women's volleyball team fell in five sets to Carthage College in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament quarterfinals Tuesday evening.

Elmhurst (17-10, 3-5 CCIW) fought back from down two sets to one to force a decisive fifth set, but were unable to generate momentum and fell in five sets to end the team's season.

Elise Rossing led the Bluejays with a career-best performance of 17 kills, while Lucy Anderson tallied 12 kills and 2.0 blocks in the match. Laicey Kaiser notched nine kills, while Aly Reardon and Keely Larson tallied eight kills each, with Reardon also grabbing 11 digs and a pair of aces.

Carthage saw three of their student-athletes surpass double-digit kills, with Kristina Manojlovic tallying 14 kills and Liv Carel and Katie Rohe putting down 12 kills each.

The Firebirds opened an early lead which the home team kept consistently at three throughout the opening set, later finding a four-point burst to take a 14-8 lead. Ultimately, a 7-0 run from Carthage allowed the hosts to take set one, 25-17.

Elmhurst started on fire in the second set, with Reardon leading a service rally that forced the Firebirds out of system, leading to a 10-2 opening run from the Bluejays. A balanced offensive attack throughout the second set allowed Elmhurst to cruise to a 25-16 victory, knotting the match at one set a piece.

The match evened out in the third set, with both teams trading kills with the score standing at 12-all at the midway point. A three-point run from Carthage widened their lead late, but a pair of kills from Rossing and Kaiser pulled the Bluejays within one point. In the end, a ball-handling error from the Bluejays gave Carthage a 25-23 third set victory to put the hosts within one set of advancing.

Elmhurst opened a 4-1 lead early in the fourth set, but the Firebirds fought back to take a lead which was traded between the two teams three times in the following ten points. The Firebirds were set up to take the match with a 22-18 lead late, but the Bluejays stormed back behind the hot hand of Rossing, using a closing 7-1 run to take set four, 25-23, and force a decisive fifth set.

The Bluejays were put on their heels early in the fifth, taking a timeout following the Firebirds earning the first three points of set five. Carthage took a 8-5 lead into the switch, and Elmhurst was unable to climb out of the deficit, falling in the fifth set 15-10 and allowing the Firebirds to advance to Thursday's CCIW semifinals.

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