WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 28, 2018) - The FDU-Florham volleyball team battled back from two sets down to best Elmira in five sets before falling to Marymount on Day One of the Worthington Invitational.

FDU is now 5-15 on the season, and will play two matches tomorrow. They will face Lycoming at 12 p.m. and will play again at either 2 or 4 p.m. to close out the tournament.

FDU-FLORHAM 3, ELMIRA 2 (16-25, 21-25, 25-21, 27-25, 15-11)
Both teams committed just seven attack errors during the first two sets, but Elmira held a 32-18 edge in kills. The second set saw the Soaring Eagles hit a blistering .421 with 18 kills and two errors, while FDU only hit .259. The Devils never led in any of the first two sets, and found themselves needing to win the next three to earn a win.

A 10-3 run in the third set seemingly put FDU in front for good, but Elmira reeled off six consecutive points to even the set at 21. The Soaring Eagles were unable to pull in front, as seniors Lauren Harris and Katie Quinlan contributed kills during a set-ending 4-0 rally, cutting the lead in half.

The Soaring Eagles took a 13-9 lead in set four, but Quinlan pinned down a Kacie Ros set to even the frame at 15. A tandem block by senior Marissa Lehnert and sophomore Liz Moise coupled with a Harris ace stretched the Devils lead to 22-20, but Elmira responded with three straight markers. Elmira notched a kill to bring up match point, but Devils fended it off. Four out of the final five points went in favor of FDU, with Harris evening the match at two with a kill.

A back-and-forth fifth set saw the Devils notch three points to jump in front 8-7 as the teams switched ends of the court. A ball-handling error brought the set to 11-9 in favor of FDU, but Elmira got the next point to get within one. The Devils tallied three straight points, thanks to consecutive kills from Lehnert. After an Elmira side-out, junior Nathalia Padron completed the comeback, slamming down a Ros set for a kill.

Harris had 25 kills and 15 digs, while Padron totaled a double of 15 digs and 12 kills. Sophomore Rebecca Morse notched a season-high 20 digs in the victory.

MARYMOUNT 3, FDU-FLORHAM 0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-20)
The Devils led 6-5 in the opening set before Marymount swung the set in their favor with seven straight points. FDu answered back with nine of the next 10, regaining a slight one point lead. The Saints took the lead for good, and a kill by Caroline Hanson put Marymount up 1-0. The Devils held the hitting edge, hitting .323 to Marymount's .317.

A double-block by Padron and Moise trimmed the second set gap to 12-10, but FDU would be unable to get any closer. With the Saints up 24-14, Lehnert prolonged the frame with consecutive kills, but Caylee Shelton ended the set with a kill as Marymount gained a two set advantage.

FDU led the final set 9-8, but Marymount quickly responded with six straight points, forcing the Devils into a timeout. The timeout worked, as the Devils pulled to within a point on a Quinlan kill. FDU would be unable to get any closer, as an unforced attack error completed the three set victory.

Harris was the leader with 11 kills and 10 digs, while Padron had eight kills and eight digs.