COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior Summer Hale (Galena, Ohio) recorded her fourth triple-double of the season and freshman Ashley Sprau (Delaware, Ohio) hit a match-high .407 as Ohio Dominican's volleyball team held off Cedarville 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 25-18) Tuesday night in non-conference action at Alumni Hall.

Hale (pictured) finished with 12 kills, 26 assists and 18 digs in tallying her second triple-double in her last three matches. Sprau matched Hale with 12 kills and had just one error in 27 attempts, while junior Rachel Billing (Anna, Ohio) had nine kills and freshman Emily Post (St. Henry, Ohio) and Shannon Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio) both had solid offensive performances, hitting .333 and .357, respectively.

Senior Elyse Mongillo (Columbiana, Ohio) had 23 assists and nine digs, and junior Stacy Rogg (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished with 25 digs to lead the Panthers (5-8).

Mongillo's serving and strong play at the net by Post and Hale helped ODU build a 13-8 lead in the first set. Post had a kill and a solo block and combined with Hale on another as the Panthers broke free from an 8-8 tie. The lead stayed between three and five points for much of the set, but a 5-1 spurt by the Yellow Jackets (9-8) brought the visitors within a point at 24-23. Hale, though, closed out the set with a kill to give ODU the match lead.

A competitive second set featured 10 ties, five lead changes and a furious rally by the Panthers. Knotted at 16, Cedarville scored three straight points for a 19-16 cushion. The Yellow Jackets still led by three at 21-18 when a kill by Sprau turned the momentum. With senior Heather Kunze (Cincinnati, Ohio) serving, the Panthers received contributions from several different players and closed the set on a 7-1 surge. Kunze recorded an ace, Nadler had a block, and freshman Tara Winner (Versailles, Ohio) had a kill to give ODU the lead at 22-21 and the final kill to end the set.

The Panthers couldn't keep that momentum into the third set, however, as Cedarville scored the first four points. The lead swelled to 13-7 before the Panthers rallied yet again. Behind several kills from Billing, Hale and Sprau, ODU drew even at 19, but could not get in front as the Yellow Jackets regained the advantage at 20-19 and led the rest of the way.

ODU's defense put the clamps on Cedarville in the fourth set, though. After the Yellow Jackets hit .319 in the third, the Panthers limited them to a .167 attack percentage, including just 10 kills, in the fourth. Tied at five, the Panthers went on a 10-3 run, with Post and Mongillo holding serve for most of it. Billing, Hale and Nadler each had three kills as the Panthers maintained their edge for the rest of the set.

Ohio Dominican returns to conference play at 7 p.m. Friday as the Panthers host Michigan Tech in Alumni Hall. Live video will be available of that match at http://www.pressboxproductions.net/.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu