PICTURED ABOVE: Shelby Knowles (LEFT) recorded match-highs of 15 kills and 20 digs. Setter Ashley Torok (RIGHT) distributed 23 assists for the Thunder.

Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton volleyball team earned an impressive 3-0 win at ninth-ranked Elmhurst College on Wednesday night. Wheaton swept through the Bluejays in three sets winning the first two sets by identical 25-23 scores. The Thunder fought off an Elmhurst rally in the third set to earn a 28-26 victory and secure the 3-0 win. Wheaton is 6-12 overall and 2-0 in CCIW, while the Bluejays fall to 21-3 overall and 1-1 in CCIW play.
 
The Wheaton win in tonight's CCIW match snapped Elmhurst 19-match win streak in CCIW regular season matches. The victory also marked Wheaton's first win against the Bluejays since a 3-1 Wheaton win at Elmhurst on Sept. 16, 2008.

Thunder head coach Brittany Smith noted of her team's performance, "I was incredibly proud of the way the team play. We felt like we have been practicing very well and haven't been able to see that on the court in our matches, so it was great to see the team showcase that very well tonight. Part of our success came from our passing and our setters did a great job of distributing sets and finding gaps for our hitters to swing into. We blocked exceptionally well tonight. She concluded, "I think a key for us tonight was we finally had a full match where we really limited our errors. We had only one service error tonight and we had just three reception errors."  
 
Sophomore Shelby Knowles led Wheaton with 15 kills and 20 digs. Lindsey Stein (PICTURED LEFT) tallied seven kills and Andy DeMoss added six. Sophomore setter Ashley Torok distributed 23 assists and DeMoss had eight total blocks, including two solos. Stein added six total blocks and Hannah Japp added five for a Thunder team that recorded 13 total blocks in the match.
 
Wheaton won the first set as Knowles tallied five kills and DeMoss (PICTURED RIGHT) had five total blocks. Elmhurst took an early 11-3 lead. The Bluejays led 19-15 when the Thunder put together six straight points to give Wheaton a 21-19 lead.
 
The second set was a closely contested battle. The score was tied at 18-18, when Wheaton took the lead for good with a 20-18. Knowles led Wheaton in the set with five kills and she added 11 digs. Torok contributed eight assists in the set.
 
Elmhurst took an early 3-1 lead in the third set, however, Wheaton rallied to gain a 10-7 lead in the set. Wheaton continued to edge toward the win in the third set with a 17-12 lead. The Bluejays battled back to tie the set at 21-21, however, Wheaton scored three straight points to take a 24-21 lead. The hosts again rallied to tie the set at 26-26, but Wheaton closed out the win by scoring the last two points of the set and of the match. Knowles recorded five kills in the set and she tallied seven digs.

Wheaton will compete in the Midwest Classic jointly hosted by Calvin College and Hope College this weekend in Michigan. The Thunder will face fourth-ranked Calvin on Friday as well as DePauw University. Wheaton will take on top-ranked Hope and Kalamazoo College in action on Saturday.