CANTON, Ohio – Despite a five set loss to Malone on Saturday, Ohio Dominican's volleyball team qualified for the GLIAC Tournament with a 10-8 conference record.

Based on a tiebreak, the Panthers will enter the GLIAC Tournament as the No. 8 seed and play at Grand Valley State at a time to be determined on Wednesday night. This is the first time in school history that the Panthers have qualified for the GLIAC Tournament.

On Saturday, the Panthers dropped a five set decision to host Malone (24-26, 25-18, 23-25, 25-11, 7-15) in the regular season finale.

Sophomore Jackie Oestreich (Brighton, Mich.) tied a career-high 20 kills to go along with nine total blocks and hit .327 in the match, while senior Brianna Reder (Maineville, Ohio) added 12 kills. Freshman Ashlin Aiken (Onsted, Mich.) had a season-high 29 assists and sophomore Megan Hendershot (Galloway, Ohio) finished with 25 digs. Senior Lauren Rindler (Rossburg, Ohio) added eight kills and 23 digs as well.

The Panthers forced a fifth set behind a convincing 14 point win in the fourth frame, and jumped to a 3-0 lead in the fifth, but the Pioneers went on a 15-4 run to take the match victory.

ODU hit .165 in the match, compared to .131 for Malone, but could not overcome two point setbacks in the first and third sets.

The Panthers had a 24-22 lead in the first set after a kill by senior Caitlin Kusan (Westerville, Ohio), but Malone scored the final four points to take the set.

ODU rode a strong early surge in the second set to even the match at a set apiece, going in front 12-5 on a kill from Rindler. Malone drew within three points at 20-17, but Oestreich tallied three late kills to put away the Pioneers in the second.

The third set featured 12 ties and five lead changes, but again the Panthers could not hold on to a late lead. ODU went in front 21-18 on Oestreich's kill, but three straight hitting errors allowed Malone to tie it. ODU regained a 23-22 lead after a pair of Pioneer miscues, but Malone again recovered to close the set with three straight points this time to grab the match lead.

In the fourth frame, the Panthers turned a 10-7 lead into a 25-11 win, closing the set with a 15-4 burst. ODU hit .458 in the set, with 12 kills and just one error, while the Pioneers managed just eight kills with seven errors.

Stay tuned to www.ohiodominicanpanthers.com for more information on the GLIAC Tournament.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu