BLUEJAYS FALL IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
Season ends with 3-1 loss to Concordia-Moorhead

Concordia-Moorhead Boxscore

LACROSSE, WIS., November 13, 2003 - The Elmhurst College volleyball team's 2003 season came to a close with a 3-1 (21-30, 30-25, 25-30, 26-30 ) loss to Concordia-Moorhead University in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

"This was a tough loss for us," said Head Coach Julie Hall. "We couldn't establish a good rhythm. Every time we were able to get on a roll and score some points, we'd hurt ourselves by making a few costly errors in a row."

Concordia-Moorhead (26-7) jumped to the early lead in the match by taking game one 30-21. Elmhurst (29-11) never led in game one as Concordia-Moorhead quickly established a 5-1 lead. After the Bluejays pulled to within a point at 7-8, the Cobbers won 15 of the next 22 points to pull away for the win.

The Bluejays evened the match by taking game two 30-25. The Cobbers jumped out to a 6-1 lead to start the game but the Bluejays rallied to pull even at 14-14. Elmhurst won 10 of the next 14 points to jump in front at 24-18.

Concordia-Moorhead took a commanding 2-1 lead in the match by capturing game three 30-25. The Cobbers jumped out to a quick 8-4 lead but the Bluejays fought back and pulled even at 11-11. Concordia-Moorhead captured 13 of the next 15 points to establish a 24-13 lead. The Bluejays pulled to within three points at 23-26, but Concordia closed out the game by taking four of the final six points.

The two teams traded blows in the fourth game, with neither team able to gain a strong foothold in the early going. Concordia-Moorhead broke a 9-9 tie to pull ahead at 20-15. Elmhurst stormed back and won the next five points to knot the score at 20-20 but Concordia-Moorhead answered right back, taking the next four points to jump in front at 24-20. The Cobbers were able to hold off the Bluejays and come away with a 30-26 win.

Lisa Denman (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin-Coffman) led the Bluejays with 12 kills and 23 digs, while Nicole Carlson (Forreston-H.S.) chipped in eight kills and 18 digs. Becky Puccini (Carol Stream-Glenbard North) added seven kills, while Carly Bearwald (Northbrook-Glenbrook North) finished with six kills in the loss. Regina Morrone (Orland Park-A.A. Stagg) led the team in assists and service aces, finishing with 27 and three, respectively. Christy Barone (Addison-Addison Trail) finished with 12 digs and 14 assists. Kelly Cusack (Bridgeview-Argo) led the team in blocks with four.

"We'd hoped for a better showing in the tournament, but I'm still proud of the season this team had," said Hall. "They showed a lot of heart and determination to win the conference championship. It's too bad we couldn't string it all together in the playoffs."

The Bluejays finished the season with a 29-11 overall record and captured their fourth straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title last weekend.