COLUMBUS, Ohio – Despite a career-high 24 kills from senior Rachel Billing (Anna, Ohio), Ohio Dominican fell just short of upsetting eighth-ranked Hillsdale, falling 3-2 (17-25, 25-17, 18-25, 25-22, 11-15) in a GLIAC match Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall.

Billing hit an astounding .595 for the match, totaling just two errors in 37 attacks, and she also paced the team with 17 digs. Freshman Brianna Reder (Maineville, Ohio) matched her season-high with 13 kills and sophomore Tara Winner (Versailles, Ohio) had nine kills as ODU out-hit Hillsdale .304 to .283 in the match.

The Panthers fell to 11-12 (4-9 GLIAC), while Hillsdale, which is ranked No. 8 in the latest AVCA poll, improved to 20-2 (14-1). ODU was just the second GLIAC team to push Hillsdale to five sets this year.

After hitting just .069 in the opening set and allowing the Chargers to hit .409, ODU bounced back with a strong performance in the second frame. A 7-0 run staked the Panthers to a 9-5 lead, and Hillsdale never challenged after that point, with ODU maintaining a four-to-seven point cushion the rest of the set.  The Panthers hit .355 for the set, with Billing registering five kills in seven swings and freshman Bailey Barker (Muncie, Ind.) finishing with four kills.

The third set was played evenly early, remaining within three points for the majority of the frame. A kill by Winner brought the Panthers to within a point at 17-16, but Hillsdale answered with a 7-1 run to take a 24-17 lead and closed out the set two points later. Billing had seven kills and Reder tallied four in the set as ODU out-hit Hillsdale .375-.357.

The fourth set was also a tight affair, with neither squad leading by more than two points until ODU went on a 5-1 run to grab a 19-15 advantage.  The Panther lead grew to 21-16 on a Barker kill and an HC error, but the Chargers came back to make it 23-21. Billing, though, sealed the set with two kills to even the match at two.

In the decisive fifth set, Hillsdale scored the first three points, but a kill by Reder and a trio of Billing terminations evened it at five. Still tied at seven, Hillsdale scored the next three points to jump to a 10-7 lead, and the Panthers were unable to draw even again.

Junior Meredith Shifley (Galion, Ohio) finished with 32 assists, her second-best total on the season, and freshman Kelsey Snyder (Macomb, Mich.) had 24 assists to lead the ODU offense. Freshman Caitlin Kusan (Westerville, Ohio) and sophomore Emily Post (St. Henry, Ohio) both had four blocks, Barker tallied 13 digs and senior Stacy Rogg (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 11 digs to pace the defense.

The Panthers remain at home next weekend as ODU hosts Grand Valley State at 7 p.m. Friday in Alumni Hall.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu