ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst volleyball team rallied past Gustavus Adolphus in sets to score a thrilling 21-25, 25-21, 25-17, 19-25, 18-16 season-opening victory.

After dropping the opening set 21-25, Elmhurst, ranked 18th in the AVCA Division III Preseason Top-25 Poll,, evened the match in the second set. Trailing 15-13, the Bluejays opened up an 8-2 run to grab a 21-17 lead before pulling away for the 25-21 win.

The Bluejays fell into an early hole in the third, falling behind 9-1 before storming back with a 14-6 run to pull even at 15-all. Trailing 17-15, the Bluejays ripped off the final 10 points to take the set 25-15. 

Gustavus Adolphus (0-1) answered back in the fourth. The Golden Gusties charged out to a 10-4 lead and never looked back. The Bluejays came as close as three points at 17-14, but came no closer as Gustavus pulled away for the six-point (25-19) win to force a decisive fifth set.

Gustavus started quickly in the fifth, building a 12-9 lead, but the Bluejays answered back with three straight points behind Hannah Nimrick's serve to pull level at 12-12. With the score tied at 13-13, a Gustavus error gave Elmhurst its first set point. The Golden Gusties fought off three match points before a block from Mary Lawrence gave the Bluejays the thrilling 18-16 victory in the set and the match. 

Elmhurst finished the contest hitting .188 with 59 kills and 26 errors in 176 swings. Gustavus hit .122 with 55 kills and 33 errors in 180 attacks. 

Lawrence led the Bluejays in the win, pounding down 15 kills and registering five blocks. Melissa Nava added 14 kills and three block while Hannah Davis registered 10 kills. Mel Lundin added eight kills for the Bluejays. Nimrick posted a match-high 44 assists to go with six kills and and 14 digs. Amy Schryver tallied a team-leading 30 digs in the win.

Lauren Hanson and Hannah Albers totaled 11 kills apiece for Gustavus. Brittany Luethmers added a team-leading 20 digs while Nora Holton totaled seven kills and 42 assists. 

Elmhurst takes on Cornell College in its second match of the Elmhurst Invitational later in the evening.