ELMHURST, Ill. -- Elmhurst advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III championship by defeating Dominican (Ill.) in three sets.
Hosting an NCAA regional for the second consecutive season, Elmhurst (36-4) upended Dominican 25-16, 25-17, 25-13.
Elmhurst never trailed in the opening set, grabbing a quick 2-1 lead before Dominican evened the score at 9-9. The Bluejays used a 6-2 run to open up a 15-11 lead. Elmhurst pushed its lead up to five points at 19-14 and closed the set on a 5-2 run to grab a quick one set lead.
With the score even at 2-2 early in the second set, Elmhurst ripped off an 8-2 run to build a 10-4 cushion. The Bluejays extended their lead to nine points at 17-8 and cruised to the 25-17 win for the remainder of the set.
Dominican (24-10) battled with the Bluejays early in the third, evening the score at 11-11. The Bluejays took control for the rest of the set, closing the set on a 14-2 run, including scoring the final eight points.
Elmhurst's offense was clicking throughout the match. The Bluejays hit .364 for the match, pounding down 48 kills in 107 attempts with just nine errors. Dominican finished the contest hitting .127 with 30 kills and 16 errors in 110 attacks.
