COLUMBUS, Ohio – A strong defensive performance carried Ohio Dominican's volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of visiting Ashland (28-26, 25-23, 25-17) on Saturday in GLIAC play in Alumni Hall.

With the win, ODU improved to 15-13 (8-8 GLIAC) and into a tie for the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament. Ashland, ranked No. 3 in the region, fell to 19-8 (12-4 GLIAC). This is the first win for ODU over Ashland since the Panthers joined the GLIAC.

Ashland, which is hitting .212 on the season, was limited to a .121 hitting percentage by the Panther defense. That's the fourth-lowest percentage Ashland has hit on the year.

Junior Jackie Oestreich (Brighton, Mich.) tallied 11 total blocks, classmate Taylor Foster (Ida, Mich.) added eight total blocks, and freshman Anna Ficker (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished with 16 digs to lead ODU.

The Panthers used a 7-0 run in the first set to take a 7-3 lead and led 24-19 before Ashland rallied with six straight points to take a 25-24 lead. The teams swapped points, and Ashland served again for the set with a 26-25 advantage. ODU tied it with a kill by freshman Kelly Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio), and consecutive kills by sophomore Ciara Ralston (Findlay, Ohio) sealed the win for the Panthers.

The second set was back and forth throughout, as Ashland's initial 3-0 lead was the largest by either team in the frame. The Eagles led 21-19, but ODU used a 4-1 run to grab a 23-22 lead. The Eagles tied it at 23, but senior Tory Thompson (Quincy, Ohio) notched back-to-back kills to lift the Panthers to the win.

ODU opened a pair of four point leads in the third set, but Ashland countered to tie it at 17. From there, it was all Panthers. A kill by Nadler and a block by Oestreich and Foster put the Panthers up by two, and Ficker had two straight aces to make it 21-17 and forced an Ashland timeout.

The Panthers kept their momentum, though, as Ralston and Oestreich had kills, Oestreich and Foster teamed up on another block, and an Ashland hitting error at match point closed the 8-0 run to end the match in ODU's favor.

Thompson recorded 11 kills, while Ralston and Oestreich each had nine for the Panthers. Foster finished with seven kills for ODU as well, while senior Darby Slavin (Columbus, Ohio) had a match-high 32 assists.

Ohio Dominican remains at home to host Walsh at 7 p.m. Friday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu