Elmhurst, Ill. - The Thunder volleyball team dropped a hard-fought conference match at Elmhurst College on Friday night. Wheaton dropped a tightly contested first set 26-24 before falling 25-11 in the second set and 25-22 in the final set. Wheaton falls to 3-15 overall and 0-4 in CCIW play. The Bluejays are now 7-9 overall and 3-1 in the CCIW.

Madeline Moore and Audrey Irwin led the Thunder attack with eight kills apiece and Emily Potts added five kills. Kelly Thornton dished out 26 assists. Defensively, Ellie Brown, Katie Rorer and Potts each tallied three blocks and Jessica Bosse recorded 12 digs.

Elmhurst jumped out to a quick first lead, scoring the first five points but Wheaton responded with five straight points to even the score. Trailing 7-5, Wheaton responded with a 13-6 run to take an 18-13 lead. The Thunder would hold carry that five-point lead to 23-18, but the Bluejays came off the ropes with six straight points to take a 24-23 lead. An Audrey Irwin kill evened the match at 24 but Elmhurst finished the match with consecutive points to claim the 26-24 first set victory.

Wheaton struggled offensively in the second set, recording only five kills and hitting -.138, dropping the set 25-11.

"The first set was obviously tough to lose after we had a 23-18 lead, and we struggled to pass and attack in the second set, but I was really encouraged with how fard we fought to come back in the third set," noted head coach Stephanie Schmidt.

Wheaton battled the Bluejays to a 7-7 score early in the third set before the hosts ran off five straight points. Trailing 17-12 later in the set, the Thunder battled back to tie the match at 19-19 on a kill by Ellie Brown. A quick three-point run by the Bluejays took control of the set and pushed the Bluejays to the 25-22 third set victory.

"Throughout the match I saw improvements in many of the areas we've been emphasizing all season, and I was really impressed with our foucs and ability to make adjustments," noted Schmidt. "There was a lot for us to like about that match even if we didn't get a scoreboard win."

Wheaton will be back in action when the Thunder return to R.A. Faganel Hall on Saturday afternoon for a noon match against Otterbein University.