Illinois Institute of Technology tops Elmhurst University, 3-2
Illinois Tech completed a five-set comeback against Elmhurst on September 16 at Keating Sports Center in Chicago, winning 18-25, 25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 15-7 to move to 5-4 on the season.
Illinois Tech held a slight edge in kills (48 to 44) and a meaningful advantage in aces (11 to 7) and blocks (4 to 1). The Scarlet Hawks hit .173 for the match compared to Elmhurst's .144, but the set-by-set efficiency gap tells the sharper story — IIT posted a .367 clip in Set 2 and .289 in Set 3 while Elmhurst hovered between .091 and .143 in those middle frames. Elmhurst rebounded to hit .233 in Set 4, forcing a fifth set, but IIT closed it out at .211 against Elmhurst's flat .000 in the deciding frame.
Katie Hurta led all players with 14 kills for Elmhurst and added 8 digs, while Elayna Ammerman contributed 24 digs and 2 aces in a steady all-around performance. For Illinois Tech, Karla Trautmann Mendez tallied 11 kills and 20 digs, and Victoria Aspurez added a match-high 5 aces to go with her 7 kills and 4 blocks.
In Set 1, Aubrey LeCleir served through a 6-0 Elmhurst run — including three consecutive aces — to push the lead to 21-14 and seal the opener. The win moves Illinois Tech to 5-4 on the season.
