RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The No. 11-ranked University of Chicago volleyball team went the distance in both of its matches on Wednesday but came up short in a pair of 3-2 losses against Dominican University and No. 16-ranked Elmhurst College.

The Maroons fell to 11-3 on the season. The Stars improved to 9-4 and the Bluejays moved to 10-4.

Dominican 3, UChicago 2 (25-16, 27-25, 17-25, 23-25, 15-10)

UChicago jumped out to the early lead against host Dominican by winning five of the opening six points. However, the Stars whittled away and eventually embarked on a 10-2 run to grab an 18-13 advantage. Dominican took the first set 25-16 and scored 10 more kills than the Maroons (16-6).

The home side kept momentum on its side with 20 kills in the second set. Dominican went ahead 15-8 midway through, but UChicago fought back to tie the score at 18-18. A kill by senior outside hitter Jasmine Mobley gave the Maroons a set point at 25-24. Then the Stars responded with three-straight kills to grab the two-set lead at 27-25.

Despite the daunting deficit, the visitors turned the page and busted through in the third set. Another 5-1 lead got UChicago off to a good start and the team pulled away 25-17. The Maroon offense was efficient with a .312 hitting percentage in the set.

In the fourth set, a 7-1 UChicago run was answered by a 4-0 run by Dominican. The Maroons went up 17-12 and scored a kill on eight of their last nine points to win 25-23 and force a fifth set.

Dominican never trailed in the deciding set, capturing leads of 6-2 and 11-4. The home team ended up winning the match at 15-10.

UChicago hit .201 (58 kills, 22 errors, 179 attempts) in the match and totaled six blocks. Dominican posted a .246 hitting percentage (72-26-187) with five blocks and seven aces.

Senior outside hitter Maren Loe spiked 23 kills and collected 13 digs. Senior setter Ragine Graves racked up 44 assists and 11 digs. Freshman libero Brooke Watson led the team with 17 digs.

UChicago Stat Leaders
Maren Loe (Sr.) – 23 kills, 13 digs, 4 assists
Sydney Majors (Fr.) – 10 kills
Jasmine Mobley (Sr.) – 10 kills, 7 digs
Ragine Graves (Sr.) – 44 assists, 11 digs
Brooke Watson (Fr.) – 17 digs, 5 assists
Erin Risk (Jr.) – 13 digs

Elmhurst 3, UChicago 2 (25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 17-25, 15-7)

In the nightcap, the Maroon offense got off to a slow start and hit .079 in the first set versus the Bluejays. Despite the offensive woes, the score was tied at 16-16. Elmhurst ended up pulling away down the stretch, winning 25-22. The Bluejays raced out to a 10-2 lead in the second set and fended off a late rally to go up two sets at 25-22.

In the pivotal third set, UChicago found its balance and had six different players contribute kills. After a tie at 11-11, the Maroons maintained a three to four point advantage the rest of the set to win 25-22. The fourth set saw the Maroons outhit the Bluejays .348 to .080. A 7-1 run allowed the team to win the set 25-17.

However, Elmhurst closed strong in the fifth by winning eight of the final nine points. Three blocks late sealed the 15-7 victory.

UChicago was held to a .129 hitting percentage (51-29-170), thanks in part to eight team blocks by Elmhurst. The Bluejays hit .212 (60-24-170), but hurt themselves with 17 service errors.

Loe surpassed 20 kills in a match for the fifth time this year. She led the way with 25 kills to go along with 13 digs. Freshman rightside hitter Sarah Muisenga was second on the team with nine kills. Graves compiled 41 assists and a squad-best 20 digs. Watson added in 19 digs and five assists.

UChicago Stat Leaders
Maren Loe (Sr.) – 25 kills, 13 digs
Sarah Muisenga (Fr.) – 9 kills
Ragine Graves (Sr.) – 41 assists, 20 digs
Brooke Watson (Fr.) – 19 digs, 5 assists

NEXT MATCHES:

• Saturday, September 26 – UChicago at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Invite, 12 PM / 2 PM