WHITEWATER, Wis. – The Elmhurst volleyball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament with a stunning three-set sweep of ninth-ranked Hope College.
 
Elmhurst (23-12), ranked 23rd in the latest AVCA Division III Poll, moved on with a 28-26, 26-22, 25-20 victory.

"It was a great feeling to beat a quality team like Hope in the first round of the tournament," said Elmhurst head coach Julie Hall. "We hit a rut near the end of the season and didn't play particularly well, but we had a great week of practice and the team displayed a lot of heart and attitude and showed on the court tonight."
 
Elmhurst fell behind 10-7 in the opening set, but the Bluejays responded with a 6-1 run to take a 13-11 lead. Elmhurst lengthened its lead to three points at 20-17 before Hope used a 4-1 run to pull even at 21-21. Elmhurst led 24-23, but Hope fought off three set points from the Bluejays to keep the score knotted at 26-26. A ball handling error on Hope (25-6) gave Elmhurst their fourth set point and the Bluejays didn't waste it. A kill from Hannah Nimrick gave Elmhurst the opening set at 28-26.
 
There was a sense of relief among Bluejay players that the team was able to finish off the opening set. "We've always joked about let's play five because we've struggled in the opening set," said Mary Lawrence. "So jump out to that first set was big. It was a relief to finish it off."
 
Elmhurst surged out to a quick 9-5 lead, but Hope stormed back to pull even at 9-9. The Flying Dutch opened up a four-point cushion at 16-12 before the Bluejays answered back with an 8-2 run to grab a 20-18 lead and force Hope to burn its final timeout of the set. Hope closed to within a point at 20-19, but the Bluejays ripped of four straight points behind the serve of Mary Lawrence to take a 24-19 lead. Hope fought off three set points before a kill from Melissa Nava put the second set away 25-22 for the Bluejays.
 
Elmhurst trailed for just one point in the final set. The Bluejays grabbed a quick 7-4 lead, but a 6-2 run by Hope gave the Flying Dutch a 10-9 advantage. Elmhurst quickly pulled even and the two squads traded points to be even at 15-15. Elmhurst ripped off the next three points to grab an 18-15 lead and the Bluejays never looked back. Hope pulled to within a point at 18-17, but the Bluejays answered back with a 5-2 run to take a 23-19 lead. A kill from Lawrence and an attack error on Hope gave the Bluejays the set at 25-20 and the match at three sets to none.
 
Elmhurst hit .183 for the match with 43 kills and 19 errors in 131 swings. Nava led the way for the Bluejays with 11 kills and three blocks while hitting a match-high .526. Hannah Davis and Lawrence added eight kills apiece. Lawrence added a team-best six blocks while Nimrick totaled seven kills, 28 assists and 14 digs. Amy Schryver tallied a team-leading 19 digs in the contest.
 
Hope hit .151 for the match with 38 kills and 19 errors in 126 swings. Katie Rietberg led the Flying Dutch with a match-high 15 kills. Sarah Feldspauch added 11 kills while Sophia Hackett registered 34 assists.
 
Elmhurst will face the winner of the UW-Whitewater vs. Greenville match tomorrow (November 11) at 7:00 p.m.