Riverside Edges Elgin Public-Pope John in Five Sets

Riverside won the fifth set 16-14 to end Elgin Public-Pope John's volleyball season on Tuesday night in Cedar Rapids.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Volleyball

Expressive editorial sports illustration of a volleyball player mid-spike above a net, rendered in deep navy and crimson jersey blocks on a pale hardwood gym floor. — Riverside defeated Elgin Public-Pope John 26-24, 23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 16-14 in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, ending the Wolfpack's volleyball season. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Riverside defeated Elgin Public-Pope John 26-24, 23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 16-14 in a five-set volleyball match in Cedar Rapids. The loss ended the Wolfpack's season.

Why it matters

The result closed out Elgin Public-Pope John's season after a match decided by a handful of points. Riverside capitalized on Wolfpack errors in the closing stretch to take the match.

Elgin Public-Pope John finished with 67 kills on 191 swings and 26 errors, with Braelyn Martinsen leading the team with 25 kills. The source does not provide the team's full-season statistics for comparison.

The players

Elgin Public-Pope John

Elgin Public-Pope John is a high school volleyball program whose team ended its season with this loss.

Riverside

Riverside is the high school volleyball team that won the five-set match.

The details

Riverside led 13-9 in the fifth set before Elgin Public-Pope John tied it at 14-14. Riverside then capitalized on two Wolfpack errors to claim the match 16-14.

Tuesday night: Elgin Public-Pope John's season ended with the five-set loss to Riverside.

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Season Trajectory

This result closes the 2026 season for Elgin Public-Pope John, which had barely won more matches than it lost. The extraction does not provide standings or playoff context beyond that.

With the loss, Elgin Public-Pope John's season is over and no further matches remain on its schedule. Fans looking to follow the program will need to wait for next season's schedule.

The takeaway

Close finishes in high school volleyball often come down to a few errors at key moments, as the closing set here showed. Teams that limit unforced mistakes late in tight matches give themselves the best chance to win.