AURORA, Ill. – Jackie Oestreich (Brighton, Mich.) had 16 kills and hit .484 as the Ohio Dominican volleyball team defeated Kentucky Wesleyan 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-10) Saturday morning at the Midwest Region Crossover.

ODU, though, suffered a 3-0 defeat (19-25, 24-26, 19-25) to Maryville later Saturday to close the weekend with a 2-1 record.

The Panthers hit .300 in the match with Kentucky Wesleyan and limited KWC (2-15) to a .161 hitting percentage in the victory.

Senior Tory Thompson (Quincy, Ohio) added 14 kills and hit .333 and freshman Kelly Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio) had six kills in 12 swings to also lead the ODU offense.

Senior Darby Slavin (Columbus, Ohio) finished with 20 assists and 11 digs, senior Kelsey Fortney (Lorain, Ohio) added 19 assists and sophomore Ciara Ralston (Findlay, Ohio) led the Panthers with 13 digs.

In the first set, ODU used a 9-2 run to open up an 18-11 advantage, capped on a tandem block by Ralston and Oestreich. The Panthers hit .343 in the frame to take the lead in the match.

ODU led 15-12 in the second set, but KWC answered and grabbed a 22-19 lead. The Panthers scored three straight to tie, but Kentucky Wesleyan pulled away down the stretch to take the set.

The Panthers then found themselves behind 10-8 in the third frame before taking a 15-11 advantage after a pair of aces from freshman Anna Ficker (Cincinnati, Ohio). KWC drew within 20-19, but a tandem block by Oestreich and junior Taylor Foster (Ida, Mich.) and a kill by freshman Rebecca Skidmore (Westerville, Ohio) helped the Panthers close out the set. ODU hit .464 with 14 kills and just one error in the frame.

It was all Panthers in the final frame. Leading 9-6, ODU ripped off the next eight points, then had another 7-0 run to help seal the match.

In the setback against Maryville, the Panthers had 16 errors and hit just .105 in the match, while Maryville (9-12) finished with 44 kills and a .195 attack percentage.

Skidmore had six kills on 15 attempts and Ralston also finished with six kills. Slavin and Fortney had 11 assists each and Ficker notched 13 digs.

Ohio Dominican hosts Northern Michigan at 7 p.m. Friday in Alumni Hall.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu