LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Elmhurst University women's volleyball team posted a 2-1 record at the Transy Invite hosted by Transylvania University on Sept. 11 and 12 inside the Clive M. Beck Center.
The Bluejays came up short in a five-set thriller against the College of Saint Benedict on Friday evening, before flipping the script on Saturday morning by taking down Asbury University, 3-2. The Blue and White wrapped up its time in Kentucky with a 3-1 win over the host.
Saint Benedict 3, Elmhurst 2
Game Facts
- Saint Benedict used a strong offensive start to take control early, hitting .440 with 12 kills. Kali Jones led the Bennies with four kills in the opening set, while Elmhurst was paced by Katie Hurta's three kills. The Bennies took a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-17 set one win.
- The Bluejays answered by jumping ahead early and never letting Saint Benedict back into the set. Elmhurst recorded 15 kills, while limiting the Bennies to four, with Samantha Webb and Hurta helping drive the offense. The Blue and White tied the match up at one set apiece with a dominant 25-13 set two win.
- The teams traded runs throughout a tightly contested third set. Elmhurst pulled within one late, 24-23, on a Hurta kill, but Jones answered with a kill to close out the set and give Saint Benedict a 2-1 match lead with the 25-23 set three win.
- Elmhurst controlled most of the fourth set, building an early lead and maintaining the advantage deep into the frame. Saint Benedict rallied late to cut the deficit to just one (21-20), but the Bluejays responded with a 4-2 run to win the set 25-22 and force a fifth set.
- Despite the Bluejays holding a 13-10 advantage in the decisive set, Saint Benedict rattled off five consecutive points to earn the 15-13 set win and take the match, 3-2.
- Elmhurst hit .218 as a team, tallying 62 kills and 25 errors in 170 attempts.
- Katie Hurta: 20 kills, 11 digs
- Samantha Webb: 14 kills, 10 digs
- Tzvetomira Tchohadjieva: 12 kills
- Freddie Temple: 41 assists, 12 digs
- Elayna Ammerman: 26 digs, 8 assists, 5 service aces
Elmhurst 3, Asbury 2
Game Facts
- Neither team led by more than two, leading to the opening set being tied at 20-20. Asbury closed out the set on a 5-1 run to take a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-21 set one win.
- Elmhurst answered with a strong offensive performance, hitting .313 in the set. Katie Hurta and Samantha Webb provided key kills, while Tzvetomira Tchohadjieva added a kill and block as the Bluejays built control late. Hurta finished the set with back-to-back kills, including the set-clinching point, allowing Elmhurst to take the set 25-23 and even the match.
- Elmhurst held the advantage for much of the third set behind kills from Hurta and Webb, but Asbury rallied late to erase the deficit and take the set, 25-21.
- Elmhurst responded in the fourth set, hitting .229 while holding Asbury to a -.067 hitting percentage. Webb and Hurta provided early kills, Tchohadjieva added a pair of kills and Elmhurst's defense helped create separation. Hurta and Tchohadjieva came up with a block before Freddie Temple's kill gave the Bluejays the 25-17 set four win to force a fifth set.
- Elmhurst took control early and never gave up the lead after a 6-1 run. The Bluejays broke the final tie at 12-12 with three consecutive kills from Webb, Maggie Cross and Hurta to take the set 15-12 and earn their first win of the tournament.
- The Blue and White hit .252 as a team, finishing with 60 kills and 24 errors in 143 attempts.
- Katie Hurta: 21 kills, 8 digs
- Samantha Webb: 14 kills
- Freddie Temple: 48 assists
- Elayna Ammerman: 20 digs, 3 service aces
Elmhurst 3, Transylvania 1
Game Facts
- Elmhurst battled through a tightly contested opening set as Katie Hurta, Grace Johnson and Samantha Webb helped pace the Bluejays' offense. Elmhurst held off a late Transylvania push and took the set 29-27 thanks to a Johnson kill and a pair of Pioneer attack errors.
- Elmhurst took control early in the second set behind a balanced offensive attack. Hurta, Johnson and Webb delivered kills, while Freddie Temple helped keep the offense in rhythm with her setting. Back-to-back kills from Johnson to close out the set gave the Bluejays a comfortable 25-18 set two victory.
- Transylvania answered in a back-and-forth third set, but Elmhurst remained within striking distance behind kills from Hurta, Johnson and Webb. Tzvetomira Tchohadjieva contributed at the net as the Bluejays battled through a tight finish, but Transylvania held on to take the set 29-27 and avoid the sweep.
- Elmhurst used a 5-0 run to erase a five-point Transylvania lead to tie the fourth set up at 23-23. It was a Johnson kill once again that sealed the 26-24 set win for the Bluejays, giving the Blue and White a 3-1 match win over the host.
- As a team. Elmhurst hit .257, totaling 58 kills and 22 errors in 140 attempts.
- Katie Hurta: 16 kills, 4 blocks
- Grace Johnson: 12 kills
- Samantha Webb: 12 kills
- Freddie Temple: 43 assists, 9 digs
- Peyton Moroney: 5 service aces, 5 digs
Up Next: The Bluejays travel to Chicago, Ill. to take on the Illinois Institute of Technology Scarlet Hawks on Wednesday, Sept. 16. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. from the Keating Sports Center.
