MEQUON, Wis. – The Elmhurst University women's volleyball team grabbed a pair of wins at the Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) triangular on Saturday, Sept. 19 inside the R. John Buuck Field House.
The Bluejays defeated Luther College in four sets before taking down CUW in a five-set thriller.
Elmhurst 3, Luther 1
Game Facts
- Luther jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but Elmhurst steadily chipped away, eventually pulling even at 14-14. The Bluejays took a 16-14 lead after kills from Samantha Webb and Grace Johnson, but Luther answered with a 5-2 run to regain a 19-18 advantage. Elmhurst rallied again late, tying the set at 28-28, but Luther used a 3-1 run to take the opening set, 31-29.
- Once again the Norse established an early advantage, taking a 9-4 lead, but the Blue and White erased the deficit, breaking the final tie at 14-14 with a kill from Grace Johnson. The Bluejays maintained their advantage for the remainder of the set, taking the second frame 25-21 to even the match at one set apiece.
- Neither team led by more than two points until a block by Tzvetomira Tchohadjieva and another Johnson kill extended the Elmhurst lead to four (16-12). The Norse tied the third set up three more times, but a Luther setting error and a kill from Freddie Temple secured the 25-23 set three victory for the Bluejays.
- Luther grabbed an early 6-3 lead, but Elayna Ammerman sparked Elmhurst's response with a service ace and Katie Hurta's kill tied the set at 6-6. After the Norse regained an 11-8 edge, the Bluejays answered with kills from Isabella Mendell, Webb, Hurta, and Tchohadjieva, eventually pulling even at 15-15. Elmhurst broke the tie with five-straight points to hold a 20-15 lead. A Luther attack error on match-point gave the Bluejays the 25-19 set four and 3-1 match win.
- As a team, Elmhurst hit .175, finishing with 63 kills and 28 errors in 200 attempts.
- Katie Hurta: 20 kills, .405 hitting percentage
- Samantha Webb: 13 kills, 14 digs
- Freddie Temple: 32 assists, 13 digs
- Elayna Ammerman: 23 digs, 7 assists
Elmhurst 3, Concordia-Wisconsin 2
Game Facts
- In the opening set, neither squad led by more than two points, until Concordia-Wisconsin broke the final tie at 17-17 with a 5-0 run to hold a 22-17 advantage over the Bluejays. Elmhurst cut the deficit to three, but the Falcons ultimately took set one by a score of 25-20.
- The second set featured 11 ties, but the Blue and White strung together five-straight points to break the final tie at 15-15 and put themselves in front 20-15. Back-to-back kills from Samantha Webb and Annabelle Muzzarelli secured the 25-17 set two win for the Bluejays.
- Elmhurst carried the momentum from the second set into the third. The Bluejays used a 5-0 run to put themselves in front for the final time (7-3). The Blue and White led by as many as eight (18-10) and earned the 25-22 set three win with a service ace to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
- The Falcons only trailed once in the fourth set, 2-1. Three attack errors by the Bluejays and a service ace from Emily Dickmann put Concordia-Wisconsin in front for the remainder of the frame. The home team forced a fifth set with a 25-19 set four win.
- The Bluejays fought back from a 5-2 deficit with a 6-0 run to take an 8-5 lead, an advantage they held until the end of the set. Elmhurst took set five, 15-13, to earn the 3-2 match win.
- The Blue and White hit .223, totaling 65 kills and 28 errors in 166 attempts.
- Katie Hurta: 20 kills, .405 hitting percentage
- Samantha Webb: 19 kills, 10 digs
- Paige Belfield: 12 kills, 6 digs
- Freddie Temple: 36 assists, 6 digs
- Elayna Ammerman: 27 digs, 6 assists, 3 service aces
- Annabelle Muzzarelli: 5 blocks, 5 kills
Up Next: The Bluejays welcome Benedictine University and Lake Forest College to R.A. Faganel Hall for the first of two Elmhurst Triangulars this season on Friday, Sept. 25. The Blue and White faceoff against the Eagles at 12 p.m. and the Foresters at 2:30 p.m.
