Pioneer Volleyball falls to No. 13 Elmhurst and Wheaton

ELMHURST, Ill. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team fell to No. 13 Elmhurst 3-1 (25-17, 15-25, 25-14, 25-21) and Wheaton in five sets (25-16, 26-24, 24-26, 21-25, 15-9) on Friday at the Elmhurst Invitational.

With the first set tied an 8-8, the Bluejays rattled off four straight points, forcing the Pioneers to take a timeout, 12-8. The Pioneers couldn't turn the tide after the timeout, and were forced to take another one when Elmhurst took a 18-12 lead. The Bluejays went on to take the set 25-17.

The Pioneers jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the second set, and then a pair of kills by Jennifer Schmidt pushed UW-Platteville's lead to 19-10. The Pioneers held off any run by Elmhurst to win the second set 25-15.

The Pioneers weren't able to keep their momentum going, and with four errors, Elmhurst took a 9-3 lead. A Pioneer timeout didn't slow down the Bluejays, as Elmhurst cruised to take the third set 25-14.

Another slow start by the Pioneers helped Elmhurst take a 7-2 lead, but the Pioneers fought to take their first lead 13-12. The Bluejays answered with four consecutive points, regaining the lead 16-13. The Pioneers weren't able to come up with another run, and the Bluejays sealed the victory 25-21.

Freshman Allison Jensen led the Pioneers with 15 kills against Wheaton, while Schmidt recorded 14 kills. Freshman Merritt Johnson registered 11 kills, followed by Lauren Grady with 10. Senior LeeAnn Mizgalski was a kill away from a double-double, as she recorded a team-high 19 digs and nine kills.

The Thunder used a 10-3 run to win the first set 25-16. The Pioneers trailed for most of the second set until a kill by Schmidt gave UW-Platteville a 22-21 lead. Three Pioneer errors down the stretch helped Wheaton win the second set 26-24.

In the third set, the Pioneers used a 9-2 run to take a 13-8 lead. The Thunder managed to tie the set up at 22-22, but the Pioneers stayed poised and won the set 26-24 to avoid the sweep.

The Pioneers lead for most of the fourth set and a pair of kills by Johnson helped the Pioneers end the set on a 4-0 run, winning 25-21.

The Pioneers' early 6-1 deficit was too much to overcome in the final set, as the Thunder went on to claim the five-set thriller 15-9.

The Pioneers take on nationally ranked Washington University (Mo.) and Millikin on Saturday.