ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Elmhurst volleyball team, ranked 14th in the latest AVCA Division III poll split a pair of matches at the first day of Washington University in St. Louis' Baden Invitational. The Bluejays opened the day with a four-set win over Hendrix before falling 3-1 to the eighth-ranked tournament host in the night cap.

ELMHURST 3, HENDRIX 1 - Elmhurst rallied from a 1-0 deficit to score a 21-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-19 win over Hendrix in the opening match of the tournament.
 

The Bluejays dug themselves into a six-point hole early in the first set and never recovered. They closed to within two points at 21-19, but Hendrix finished off the set with a kill from Sara Dyslin.

Hendrix built a 19-16 lead in the second set before the Bluejays stormed back. Elmhurst won six of the next seven points to build a 22-20 lead. A kill from Mary Lawrence sealed the set for the Bluejays.

The two squads traded points for the early parts of the third set before Elmhurst pulled in front for a 21-18 lead. Hendrix closed to within two points at 22-20, but a pair of Hendrix errors sandwiched around an Alli Rogers' kill, gave the Bluejays the third set 25-20.

Elmhurst surged in front early in the fourth set, grabbing a quick 13-6 lead. Hendrix closed to within four points at 21-17, but the Bluejays won four of the next six points to put the game out of reach. 

The Bluejays hit .241 for the match with 55 kills and 22 errors in 137 attempts. Hannah Nimrick paced the Bluejays with a triple-double in the win. Nimrick posted a team-best 15 kills and 35 assists while hitting .609 for the match. She added 12 digs and three blocks in the victory.

Lawrence finished one block shy of a double-double, finishing with 12 kills and nine blocks while hitting .429. Mel Lundin added eight kills and three blocks for the Bluejays while Hannah Davis and Olivia Parks totaled five kills apiece for the Bluejays. Peggy Clemens led the Bluejays in digs with 16 while Amy Schryver tallied 15 digs and a pair of aces. 

Hendrix hit .101 as a squad with 41 kills and 26 errors in 149 attempts. Bradi Ryan and Lauren Petrisin tallied 10 kills apiece to pace the Warriors in the loss.

WASHINGTON 3, ELMHURST 1 - Elmhurst suffered its first loss of the season after dropping a four-set decision to Washington in St. Louis. The eighth-ranked Bears won with scores of 25-19, 20-25, 25-17, 25-17.

Washington led from wire-to-wire in the opening set, racing out to an 8-2 lead before holding off a late charge from Elmhurst. The Bears led 19-10 before Elmhurst closed to within four points at 21-17. Washington sealed the set with a kill from Jackie Nelligan.

The Bears grabbed an early lead in the second and led 17-14 before Elmhurst responded with a 10-1 run keyed by runs behind the serve of Schyver and Shannon Burns. A kill by Rogers gave the Bluejays the set and evened the match at a set apiece.

Elmhurst and Washington traded points for the start of the third set, but with the score even at 11-11, Washington ripped off a 7-2 run to build an 18-13 lead before pulling away for the 25-17 win. The Bears started quickly in the fourth set, building an 11-5 lead. Elmhurst came no closer than a four-point deficit before Washington closed out the set and the match.

Elmhurst hit .138 for the contest with 49 kills and 27 errors in 159 attempts. Nimrick led the way for Elmhurst in the loss, tallying her second straight triple-double. She finished with a team-leading 14 kills and 25 assists while adding 16 digs. Parks chipped in with nine kills while Rogers tallied eight kills for the Bluejays. Burns finished with seven kills for Elmhurst. Lawrence led the squad in blocks with four while Schryver totaled a team-leading 19 digs in the loss.

Washington hit .270 with 54 kills and 17 errors in 137 swings. Three players reached double figures in kills to pace the Bears in the win. Amanda Palucki totaled 13 kills while Caroline Dupont finished with 11. Nkiru Udenze added 10 kills and 14 digs for the Bears.

Elmhurst takes on Fontbonne and Buena Vista University on the tournament's second day.