UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Ohio Dominican's volleyball team took the first set, but GLIAC foe Saginaw Valley claimed the next three as the Cardinals bested the visiting Panthers 23-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-18 Friday night in Cardinal Gym.

The setback drops Ohio Dominican to 7-15 (2-12 GLIAC), while SVSU improved to 12-10 (7-8 GLIAC).

Elyse Mongillo (Columbiana, Ohio) tallied 30 assists and 18 digs to lead ODU, while Rachel Billing (Anna, Ohio) had a team-high 11 kills. Stacy Rogg (Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded nine kills and 13 digs, Shannon Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio) registered eight kills and six block assists, and Heather Kunze (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished with 20 digs.

The Panthers bolted to a 10-5 lead in the first set, though it turned into a back-and-forth affair down the stretch. Still up by five at 20-15 after Billing's kill, ODU saw the lead disintegrate as the Cardinals scored six of the next seven points to tie it at 21. Billing, though, answered with a kill, and after two attack errors by Saginaw Valley, Billing's fourth kill of the set clinched the 25-23 win.

Ohio Dominican fell behind 6-1 in the second set but hung around for most of the set. The Panthers drew as close as 13-11 after a Cardinal hitting error, but SVSU quickly bumped its lead back to six and didn't look back from there.

The third set was nip and tuck throughout the first half, featuring eight ties and four lead changes. An 8-1 run by the Cardinals, though, broke open a 13-13 contest. SVSU also used a big run in the fourth set, this one an 8-0 surge, to open a 15-6 lead, and the Panthers would draw no closer than five points the rest of the set.

After hitting .238 in the opening set, the Panthers hit just .043 the rest of the way. SVSU finished with a .244 attack percentage for the contest.

The Panthers return to action at 4 p.m. Saturday as ODU takes on Grand Valley State.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu