CHICAGO, Ill. -- In a five-set thriller, the DePaul Blue Demons came from behind to edge Georgia State, 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12), in the finale of the DePaul Invitational in Chicago, Ill. The Panthers fall to 5-4, while the Blue Demons won their first match of the year to improve to 1-7.

After dropping the first set, 25-21, the Panthers ran off the next two sets, 25-23 and 25-23, to take a 2-1 lead. However, after taking the fourth set, 25-22, DePaul claimed the deciding fifth set, 15-12.

The fifth set was a back and forth affair that saw each team held a lead. GSU took a 7-4 lead, but the Blue Demons rallied to take the 8-7 lead at the side change. GSU tied it a 12, before a pair of kills and an error by Verdun ended the match.

In a losing effort, a trio of Panthers had a double-double. Senior Ashley Jones (29 digs and 18 kills), sophomore Jamiee Freeman (24 digs and 10 kills) and junior Chelsea Perry (41 assists and 14 digs) paced GSU. Libero Audrey Cantrell had 17 digs, while Verdun had 15 kills, five block assists and a block solo. Senior Rachel Boryc had 10 kills.

Christy Landschoot paced DePaul with a double-double of 50 assists and 20 digs.

DePaul limited GSU to a .136 hitting percentage.

The Panthers opened up a 10-3 lead in the second set and led comfortably until the end where a pair of attack errors and a kill cut the GSU lead to 24-23. A Vineece Verdun kill gave GSU the set.

In the third set, GSU overcame a four-point deficit at 18-14, to tie it at 19. The teams went back and forth but on the strength of freshman Emily Averbeck's serving and kills by Verdun and Ashley Jones to claim the third set to give GSU the 2-1 lead.

The fourth set was owned by DePaul as they built a 18-10 lead and held off a late GSU rally to push it to a deciding fifth set.

The Panthers return to the Sports Arena on Tuesday when they host in-state foe Georgia at 5:30 p.m.