ALLENDALE, Mich. – Looking to rebound from a hard-fought loss at Saginaw Valley on Friday, the Ohio Dominican volleyball team struggled in the early going at No. 18 Grand Valley State, but could not create any upset magic as they fell in straight sets (25-18, 28-26, 25-20) on Saturday afternoon.

The Lakers jumped on the Panthers early, running out to an 8-3 advantage in the opening set. ODU closed the score to 17-13, but GVSU won eight of the final 13 points to take set one.

The second set was a different story as there were 16 ties and 7 lead changes between the squads. After grabbing a 6-4 lead, the Panthers dropped the next six points as the Lakers took their largest advantage of the set. ODU answered winning the next four to knot the score at 10-10. The set would continue as a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to grab a lead of more than three points. Trailing late 23-20, the Panthers rallied again to even the set at 25-25, but GVSU was able to take two of the last three points for the 2-0 in the match.

In the third set ODU once again got out to an early 9-7 lead, but the Lakers flexed their muscle, winning 11 of the next 13 points to go up 18-11. The Panthers cut the deficit to five late, but it was not enough as the Lakers extended their win streak to 13 matches.

Rachel Billing (Anna, OH) led the ODU attack with a game-high 17 kills on 44 attempts for a .318 hitting percentage. Heather Kunze (Cincinnati, OH) finished with a team-high 20 digs, while Elyse Mongillo (Columbiana, OH) had a game-high 25 assists and 15 digs. Stacy Rogg (Cincinnati, OH) added seven kills and eight digs and Summer Hale (Galena, OH) chipped in with six kills and nine digs.

The Panthers (7-16, 2-13 GLIAC) conclude the road portion of their season on Sunday at 2 p.m. as they take on the Ferris State Bulldogs in Big Rapids, Mich.

By Bryan Desch