ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst volleyball team tipped Cornell College in five sets to finish the opening day of the Elmhurst Invitational with a perfect 2-0 record.

Elmhurst, ranked 18th in the AVCA Division III Preseason Top-25 Coaches Poll, scored a 25-15, 19-25, 26-24, 22-25, 25-13 win over Cornell (0-1).

Elmhurst raced out to an early lead in the opening set before pulling away for the 25-15 victory. Cornell answered back in the second, building a 10-6 lead and opening up a 22-16 advantage before finishing off the set with a 25-19 win. 

Cornell opened up a 12-6 lead early in the third set before Elmhurst stormed back. The Bluejays pulled even at 17-17 before Cornell opened up a four-point cushion at 23-19. The Bluejays rattled off four straight points to even the score at 23-all and fought off a set point from Cornell at 24-23. The Bluejays won the final three points of the match to score the 26-24 win. 

The Rams once again built an early lead in the fourth set, racing out to a 15-9 lead before Elmhurst responded with a big run to even the score at 18-18. The Rams went back in front at 20-19 before pulling away for the 25-23 win. 

Elmhurst grabbed an early lead in the fifth with a 5-1 run to open the set. Cornell pulled to within a point at 8-7 and the two teams proceeded to trade points for the duration of the set, with Cornell trimming two-point Elmhurst leads back down to one. The Bluejays led 14-12 after a Cornell error and scored a 15-13 win after a Cornell error. 

Elmhurst hit .246 for the match with 57 kills and 22 errors in 142 attempts. Cornell finished at .224 with 58 kills and 26 errors in 143 swings. 

Melissa Nava powered Elmhurst's offense with 15 kills and three blocks. Mel Lundin, Hannah Davis and Mary Lawrence finished with nine kills apiece for the Bluejays. Amy Schryver totaled a team-best 15 digs while Hannah Nimrick totaled seven kills and 39 assists.

Cornell was led by 26 kills from Diamond Boyd. Lauren Ahart and Libby Schnoor added 11 kills apiece for the Rams.

Elmhurst takes on Wisconsin-La Crosse and Bluffton on the tournament's second day on Saturday (September 3)