AURORA, Ill. - St. Norbert College got the early jump on Aurora University but eventually fell 3-2 in a hard-fought Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament semifinal match at Thornton Gym.

The Green Knights (19-12) dropped a 23-25, 25-14, 20-25, 25-19, 15-10 decision to the Spartans.

The decisive fifth set featured four ties, the last one coming at 8-8. Aurora scored the next two points for a 10-8 lead, with an Alyssa Mills kill getting the Green Knights back to within one. But the Spartans would score the next three points to take an insurmountable 13-9 lead.

St. Norbert used a 5-0 run to take a 13-6 lead in Set 1. Aurora got to within one point four times late in the set, but a Spartans' service error clinched a 1-0 lead for the Green Knights. Aurora used the momentum it built late in the opening set to never trail in Set 2.

The third set was tied at 11-11 when the Green Knights went on a 5-1 run behind a kill and service ace by Brooke Clement and an Alyssa Mills kill for a 16-12 lead. The Spartans got to within two points, the last time at 21-19, when St. Norbert closed on a 4-1 run to take a 2-1 lead. The fourth set was tied at 10-10 before Aurora pushed out to a 14-11 lead and never trailed to tie the match at 2-2.

St. Norbert hit .148 with 52 kills and 25 errors in 183 attempts. Clement finished with 24 kills, while Mills had 10 and Rylie Gregg nine. Heidi Colburn had 23 assists and Ellie Hartson 20.

Erin Eggers finished with 19 kills and Kara Sowinski added 15 digs. The Green Knights had 10 team blocks, with Colburn getting five and Gregg and Molly Rader with three each.

Aurora hit .209 with 66 kills and 27 errors in 187 attempts. Lulu Torres finished with 19 kills, while Kate Poellmann added 17 kills.