ELMHURST, Ill. - Elmhurst volleyball came up just short in a pair of marathon matches at the Elmhurst University Invitational on Saturday, falling to Olivet 3–1 (23–25, 24–26, 25–21, 22–25) in the morning before dropping a five-set heartbreaker to Lawrence 3–2 (17–25, 25–22, 26–24, 23–25, 11–15) later in the day.
Against Olivet, the Bluejays battled through two tight opening sets but could not convert late leads, dropping both frames by two points. Elmhurst responded in the third behind a 16-kill effort, hitting .257 to extend the match. Keely Larson and Blair Johnson provided key kills, while setter Freddie Temple handed out 37 assists. Paige Belfield and Ashley Clardy added timely points at the net, but Olivet closed out the match with a 25–22 decision in the fourth. Johnson led Elmhurst with 16 kills, Larson hit .348 with 11 kills, and Temple added 14 digs to her assist total. Defensively, libero Alexis Casey posted 19 digs, and Gianna Ptaszek chipped in 10.
In the nightcap against Lawrence, Elmhurst once again showed resilience in a back-and-forth battle that featured 31 ties and 17 lead changes. The Bluejays jumped ahead with a convincing first-set win before Lawrence rallied to claim sets two and three. Elmhurst forced a deciding fifth set by pulling out a 25–23 win in the fourth, powered by Belfield's serving and clutch kills from Johnson and Clardy. In the fifth, Lawrence pulled away late for the 15–11 victory.
The Bluejays posted 53 kills and 12 aces in the five-setter, led by Johnson's 17 kills and three aces for 22 points. Belfield delivered 13 kills, five aces, and 18 digs, while Clardy tallied 14 kills. Casey anchored the defense with 18 digs and three aces, and Temple finished with 41 assists and 11 digs. Maggie Cross and Nyah Moustakas combined for eight blocks at the net.
Across both matches, Elmhurst tallied 106 kills, 22 service aces, and 145 digs while pushing both opponents to the brink. Johnson totaled 33 kills on the day, while Belfield added 26 points between kills and aces. Casey combined for 37 digs, and Temple handed out 78 assists to pace the attack.
