COLUMBUS, Ohio – Senior Tory Thompson (Quincy, Ohio) had 18 kills and hit .500 as Ohio Dominican's volleyball team swept visiting Lake Erie 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-10) in GLIAC play Friday night at Alumni Hall.

The Panthers inched over .500 with the win, improving to 14-13 (7-8 GLIAC), while Lake Erie is 7-18 (2-13 GLIAC).

Thompson's performance came on the heels of a 15 kill performance in the sweep over Tiffin on Tuesday night. She tied a personal best with 18 kills in a three set match, with the other coming during her freshman year against West Virginia State on Sept. 8, 2012.

Overall, the Panthers hit .327 in the match, with 45 kills against just nine errors. ODU held the Storm to an .083 attack percentage, including allowing just four kills against seven errors in the final set.

The first set was close throughout, with 11 ties and five lead changes. Lake Erie led 7-3 early, but ODU came back and the lead swapped hands throughout the middle part of the set. A kill by freshman Kelly Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio) tied the set at 20, and after a Storm hitting error, junior Jackie Oestreich (Brighton, Mich.) and sophomore Ciara Ralston (Findlay, Ohio) teamed up on a block to make it 22-20.

LEC scored the next two points to tie it, but Thompson countered with a pair of kills, and a Storm hitting error closed the set in ODU's favor.

The Panthers never trailed in the final two sets. ODU built an 11-2 lead in the second frame, and though Lake Erie cut it to three on a pair of occasions, ODU would pull away late to take the win. The Panthers notched 17 kills with a .400 attack percentage in the set.

ODU started equally hot in the third set, opening a 10-2 lead and never looking back. The Panthers led by as much as 16 at 23-7 and did not commit a hitting error, recording 13 kills on 26 swings.

Ralston and Oestreich each had eight kills, with Ralston hitting .241 and Oestreich .412 in the match. Senior Darby Slavin (Columbus, Ohio) tallied 36 assists and freshman Anna Ficker (Cincinnati, Ohio) totaled a match-best 19 digs.

Ohio Dominican remains at home to host Ashland at 2 p.m. Saturday in Alumni Hall.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu