ELMHURST, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan women's volleyball team held off a late comeback attempt from Elmhurst University in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin action Wednesday night, Sept. 15, inside R.A. Faganel Hall. The Titans defeated the Bluejays in four sets (25-21, 25-20, 19-25, 26-24) to move to 6-5 overall and 1-0 in league play. Elmhurst slipped to 1-4 on the season and 0-1 in CCIW matches.

Illinois Wesleyan took control with tight wins in both the first and second set to go up 2-0. Elmhurst extended the match with a win in set three, but IWU bounced back to claim the 3-1 victory in a wild fourth set. The Titans sat one point away from clinching the match as the Green and White led the Bluejays 24-20 late in the fourth, but EU rattled off four straight points to even the score at 24 all. Elmhurst's late charge was thwarted as a service error and a kill from senior Jessica McCall (Wayne, Ill.-Wheaton St. Francis) lifted IWU to a 26-24 win.

IWU's defense was the difference in the match, as the Titans built an 81-78 lead in digs and a 7-5 block edge. The Bluejays snagged a slight, 57-52, kill advantage for the match and hit .205 compared to IWU's .183.

Junior Grace Sanders (Bloomington, Ill - Bloomington) notched a double-double with team leading 20 digs and 12 kills. Senior Amber Juarez (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal U High), McCall, and sophomore Maddie Dryfhout (Orland Park, Ill.-Chicago Christian) also added double-digit kills. Juarez tallied 17 digs to go along with a team-high three aces, while McCall and Dryfhout chipped in 10 apiece. 

At the net, senior Courtney McAuliffe (Lemont, Ill. - Lemont) fueled IWU's block advantage with a team-high four blocks. McCall and junior Evy Makris (Orland Park, Ill.-Sandburg) notched three denials each.

On the offensive side, the trio of McCall, Makris, and freshman Morgan Harrington (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) accumulated nine kills each. Makris secured a .300 hitting percentage for the contest, while McCall hit at a .269 clip. 

Senior Madi Corey (Frankfort, Ill. - Lincoln-Way East) and freshman Ava Porada (Frankfort, Ill. - Lincoln-Way East) had 23 and 21 assists, respectively.

Illinois Wesleyan will remain on the road for its next contest as the Titans are set to battle Aurora University Friday, Sept. 17. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.