By Jackie Hobson, Sports Information Intern
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After starting the season with 11 straight matches away from their home gym, the Ohio Dominican volleyball team (7-4, 2-0 GLIAC) is set to serve it up in Alumni Hall for the first time this season. The Panthers will have another pair of matchups this weekend as they take on Wayne State (4-7, 0-2) on Friday and Saginaw Valley (8-2, 0-2) on Saturday.
The Panthers are coming off of two straight wins after taking down both Malone 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-19) and Walsh 3-0 (25-9, 25-22, 25-16) last weekend while opening GLIAC play for the 2015 season. With the victories ODU is currently sitting tied atop the GLIAC at 2-0.
Junior middle hitter Jackie Oestreich (Brighton, Mich.) has continued to stand tall in the center for the Panthers. Oestreich tallied 27 kills during the victories at Malone and Walsh with an overall hitting percentage of .565. These numbers brought home the second GLIAC South Division Player of the Week honor of her career.
Along with impressive numbers from Oestreich thus far, ODU has gained contributions from all facets of the roster. Freshman defensive specialist Anna Ficker (Cincinnati, Ohio) has been all over the court with 181 digs, currently fourth in the GLIAC, and senior outside hitter Tory Thompson (Quincy, Ohio) follows closely behind with 137. Senior setter Kelsey Fortney (Lorain, Ohio) leads the Panther squad with 204 assists.
Wayne State is the first to come to town on Friday and they will bring a defensive-minded team who currently averages 1.51 blocks per set. Junior middle hitter Mikayla Shell leads the team in this category with an average of 0.65 while contributing 63 kills for the Warriors.
In contrast, Saginaw Valley has many offensive weapons that have put up big number so far for the Cardinals. Andrea Brigham is fourth in the GLIAC with 129 kills while Kelly Vellucci sits at third in the conference with 386 assists.
The Panthers are set for an exciting weekend as they host two important conference games at home. The match against Wayne State is at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 25 while ODU will face Saginaw Valley on 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 26.
MALONE HIGHLIGHTS
Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu
