COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Dominican volleyball team bested visiting Walsh in four sets (18-25, 29-27, 25-19, 25-17) Saturday evening in Alumni Hall to give the Panthers their first conference win of the season.

Freshman Tory Thompson (Quincy, Ohio) had a stellar evening, recording a team-high 18 kills and hitting .208 in the match to go along with 14 digs. Freshman Kelsey Barker (Yorktown, Ind.) chipped in with 12 kills, while a balanced offensive attack featured nine kills apiece from. sophomores Brianna Reder (Maineville, Ohio) and Caitlin Kusan (Westerville, Ohio) and freshman Lauren Kraemer (Kettering, Ohio).

Guiding the Panthers offense was freshman Darby Slavin (Columbus, Ohio) who notched a season-best 54 assists. Defensively, sophomore Bailey Barker (Muncie, Ind.) tallied a team-high 21 digs.

Overall, the Panthers (5-4, 1-1 GLIAC) hit .258 and the defense improved to hold the Cavaliers to a .201 attack percentage.

After allowing Walsh to grab the first set 25-18, ODU responded with a thrilling second set that featured 22 ties and eight lead changes. The Panthers were facing a set-point at 24-23 when an attacking error on the Cavaliers forced a 24-24 tie. ODU went in front 25-24 on a Thompson kill, but Walsh responded with a point off a Brittany Morris attack.

Tied at 27-27, the Black & Gold pushed ahead 28-27 when Thompson once again came through in clutch on a kill from Darby. Kraemer gave the Panthers the extra push, scoring the final point and giving ODU the win in the second set.

The Panthers never relinquished the lead in the third set, going on a five-point run with Kusan at the service line. The Cavaliers came back with a four-point run to get within four (17-13), but ODU's hitters were too much for Walsh's defense, capturing the third set 25-19.

With momentum still on their side, the Panthers only allowed one tie and no lead changes in the final set, topping the Cavaliers 25-17.

Ohio Dominican travels north for two conference match-ups against Hillsdale at 7 p.m. Friday and Northwood at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu