Box Score ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst volleyball erased a four-point deficit in the fifth set to edge second-ranked Emory University 25-20, 25-21, 26-28, 25-18, 15-13 at the Elmhurst Invitational.
 

Elmhurst, ranked 13th in the latest AVCA Division III top-25 poll, improved to 13-1 on the season, winning its 10th consecutive match in the process.

The Bluejays fell behind 10-6 in the fifth set, but outscored Emory (12-2) 9-3 to close out the set. Trailing by four, the Bluejays ripped off four straight points to even the set at 10. Emory bounced back with back-to-back points, but a kill from Sam Szarmach pulled Elmhurst to within a point at 12-11. A service error on Elmhurst gave Emory a 13-11 cushion, but the Eagles returned the favor with a service error to bring Elmhurst to within a point. A kill by Szarmach brought Elmhurst even at 13-13 and forced Emory to burn a timeout. Jackie Pavilonis served up an ace to give the Bluejays their first lead of the set at 14-13. Melissa Nava and Hannah Nimrick combined to stuff Emory's Leah Jacobs at the net to seal the victory for the Bluejays.

Elmhurst nearly had the match put away in three sets before Emory roared back. The Bluejays raced out to a 14-9 lead in the opening set and held off Emory for a 25-20 win. Trailing by three in the second set, Elmhurst used a 7-1 run to take a15-12 advantage. Emory battled back to even the score at 16-16, but a 4-1 run by Elmhurst put the Bluejays on top 20-17. Emory pulled to within a two points at 23-21, by kills from Szarmach and Alli Rogers gave the Bluejays the second set.

The third set was tightly contested from the get go, but Elmhurst used a 10-5 run to turn a 6-6 tie into a 16-11 lead. Emory charged back with a 7-2 run to knot the score at 18-all. The Eagles pulled in front and build a 24-22 lead, but Elmhurst pulled even on a kill from Pavilonis and a block. With the score tied at 25-25, a kill from Melissa Nava gave the Bluejays a match point, but a kill from Sarah Maher evened the set for Emory. An Elmhurst error and an ace from Leah Jacobs gave Emory the third set.
 

Emory dominated the fourth set, racing using a 6-0 run to build a 13-7 advantage. Elmhurst closed to within two points at 15-13, but the Eagles evened the match by closing the fourth set on a 9-5 run, setting up the decisive fifth set.

Both teams hit an identical .223 for the match. Elmhurst totaled 63 kills and 26 errors in 166 attempts while Emory finished with 60 kills and 25 errors in 157 attacks.

Szarmach, Pavilonis and Nava all reached double figures in kills for the Bluejays. Szarmach tallied a double-double with 19 kills and 11 digs while Pavilonis added 15 kills and nine blocks in the victory. Nava totaled 10 kills and three blocks. Hannah Nimrick turned in a great all-around performance, finishing with 51 assists, seven kills, 14 digs and seven blocks. Shannon Burns added and Rogers added six kills apiece for the Bluejays. Amy Schryver tallied a team-leading 16 digs in the victory while Peggy Clemens added nine.

Micher, Jacobs and Jessica Holler all finished in double figures in kills. Maher totaled 16 while Jacobs added 15 for the Eagles. Holler added 14 kills in the loss while Sydney Miles tallied 50 assists. Kate Bowman led the squad in digs with 28.

Elmhurst will face a pair of top-25 teams tomorrow. The Bluejays face 14th-ranked Eastern University at 11:00 a.m. before taking on 11th-ranked College of St. Benedict at 3:00 p.m.