UI student Eli Ward 'serenades' Gwen Stefani on 'The Voice.' Will he move on in the competition?

University of Iowa student Eli Ward battled it out on stage on the latest episode of “The Voice” before being let go by coach and pop star Gwen Stefani.

Ward, the 21-year-old who ran track and cross country at UI, appeared on the fifth part of the battles on Season 24 of “The Voice,” where he and fellow Team Stefani member Jason Arcilla sang the 1970 song “Make It With You” by Bread.

Contestants advance on the NBC singing competition by battling their teammates and performing the same song together on stage in front of the judges. Their coach will ultimately decide who won the battle after the other judges on “The Voice” give their feedback.

“This one is another tough decision,” Stefani said to the camera before their performance. “They equally are gifted. They both have incredible talent. But it’s going to come down to who’s ready.”

Gwen Stefani coaches Eli Ward before performing ‘Make It with You’ by Bread

Ward, from Waterloo, Illinois, joined Stefani’s team during the blind auditions after she and country singer Reba McEntire turned their chairs for him during his performance of “Bruises” by Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi.

Stefani said she paired Arcilla and Ward for the battles because they are “chill singers” as opposed to being belters.

During his coaching with Stefani, Ward said he wasn’t as experienced on stage.

Stefani said she still gets nervous, especially on TV, and acknowledged how nerves can manifest into something physical.

“When Eli started singing today, I heard the reason why I pressed my button,” she said. “He has an amazingly beautiful tone. I think he just really needs to work on his body language and get comfortable in his skin.”

John Legend and Reba McEntire encourage Gwen Stefani to choose Eli Ward

Ward and Arcilla smiled and hugged each other after their performance.

“Well, Gwen, what a song choice,” singer and coach John Legend said. “That was so fun and soulful. And you got these handsome gentlemen to serenade you.”

Legend complimented their moves as well.

“Eli, I loved how confident and in command you felt the whole time, so I think I would side just slightly with Eli,” Legend said.

McEntire also complimented the duo’s performance but said if she had to choose, she’d go with Ward.

“Eli, I love your ’50s meets ’70s smoothness,” former One Direction singer and coach Niall Horan said. “And also, hats off for taking on that fit, because I definitely don’t have the arms to take on a shirt like that.

Ward, who wore a sleeveless V-neck sweater, previously was complimented by Horan during the blind auditions, when he took notice of how similar the two had dressed and called him “handsome.”

Horan went on to call Ward’s tone “pure” and “classic,” saying that the song suited Ward.

“I pushed my button, then you had this meltdown on stage,” Stefani said to Ward after their performance. “Then in rehearsals, I was shocked with the tone of your voice. You can go up into your head voice. You have a really warm chest voice.”

Ward told the Des Moines Register in October that he lost his focus when Stefani turned to face him during the blind auditions and that it was difficult to keep his composure.

“Making the decision to get rid of running was definitely tough, but like I said, I think a chair turn definitely validates that and I think going forward, the more I learn, the more I get coached by Gwen, it is paying dividends,” he said to the Register.

During the Oct. 31 episode, Stefani said she had to go with the person who is ready right now and chose Arcilla.

“You have been so incredible for me,” Ward told Stefani after. “Being able to conjure up enough confidence to just go up and own a stage, I owe you.”

Stefani told Ward she loved working with him.

After, Stefani told the camera that while it was a hard decision, she was unsure how consistent Ward was with his vocals at this time.

“I was really close to stealing him,” Legend said to the camera. “But I was like, “You know, let me hold off because I might find another artist that’s a little more in my wheelhouse,’ but I really liked Eli.”

See Eli Ward and Jason Arcilla perform 'Make It With You' on 'The Voice'

Watch Ward and Arcilla's performance that had Legend compliment Ward's confidence after.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at PBarraza@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: University of Iowa student Eli Ward loses battle on NBC's 'The Voice'