EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Ohio Dominican's volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take a five set victory over West Alabama at the Dunn Hospitality Invitational, hosted Friday by Southern Indiana.

The Panthers rebounded from a 3-1 setback earlier in the day against Missouri-St. Louis to start its season with an overall record of 1-1.

Junior Tory Thompson (Quincy, Ohio) had 19 kills, hitting .277 for the match, to go along with a team-high 16 digs. Senior Caitlin Kusan (Westerville, Ohio) chipped in with 11 kills, while junior Kelsey Fortney (Lorain, Ohio) had 25 assists.

West Alabama took the first set 25-14, but ODU rallied in the second. The Panthers went in front 15-10 on an ace by Kusan, but UWA recovered and tied the score at 19. Kusan had two kills and teamed up with senior Briana Reder (Maineville, Ohio) on a block to help ODU jump back in front 23-19, but the Tigers reeled off five straight points to take a 24-23 lead.

Another kill by Kusan tied, and a combined block by the senior and Thompson put ODU back on top 25-24. Thompson's kill then completed the comeback for the Panthers, knotting the match at a set apiece.

The Tigers took the third set by a count of 25-19, then used a 10-2 run to go in front 20-18 in the fourth. Sophomore Jackie Oestreich (Brighton, Mich.) had a kill to start a surge by ODU, though, as the Panthers would score the set's final seven points to claim a 25-20 win and force the decisive fifth set.

ODU went in front 5-2 in the fifth, but UWA responded and grabbed a 12-9 lead. A service error by UWA and a block by Reder cut the deficit to 12-11, and Fortney's service ace tied it at 12.

A kill from UWA gave the Tigers a 13-12 lead, but ODU tallied the match's final three points, as the duo of Kusan and Thompson teamed up on a block while also registering a kill.

The Panthers won despite hitting just .102 in the match, though they did hold the Tigers to a .113 attack percentage as well.

In the opening setback to UMSL, the Panthers hit just .085, with 43 kills and 31 errors, and ODU was also hurt by committing 11 service errors.

Thompson had a match-high 14 kills, while Kusan and Oestreich each had eight kills. Senior Lauren Kraemer (Kettering, Ohio) finished with seven kills.

Freshman Ashlin Aiken (Onsted, Mich.) tallied 17 assists, while Fortney chipped in with 15, and senior Lauren Rindler (Rossburg, Ohio) led the team with 15 digs.

After falling 25-13 in the first set, ODU bounced back with a strong performance in the second set, hitting .227 as a squad. The Panthers scored six straight behind Kusan's serving to grab an 11-6 lead, though UMSL hung around and cut it to two on a pair of occasions, including 24-22. Kusan's kill on a set from Fortney sealed the set for ODU, though.

However, UMSL came back and had fast starts in each of the next two sets, going in front 10-5 in the third and 11-4 in the fourth, and took the victory.

The Panthers continue play at the invitational on Saturday with matches against Southern Indiana (12:30 p.m. ET) and McKendree (8 p.m. ET).

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu