COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's volleyball team fell in a nail biter to visiting Wayne State 3-1 Friday night in GLIAC action from Alumni Hall, with none of the four sets decided by more than four points.

The Panthers took the opening frame 25-21 before falling 22-25, 25-27 and 24-26.

Both teams tallied 59 kills, but the Panthers (8-13, 3-8 GLIAC) committed 33 attack errors to 25 for the Warriors (18-5, 9-3 GLIAC), as ODU hit .135 compared to .180 for the visitors.

Senior Tory Thompson (Quincy, Ohio) led the Panthers with 20 kills while also tallying 14 digs. Sophomore Kelly Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio) chipped in with 14 kills and senior Jackie Oestreich (Brighton, Mich.). Freshman Bailey Line (Westerville, Ohio) had 45 assists and seven kills while hitting .545 and also contributed 16 digs.

The opening set saw seven ties and four lead changes, but ODU pulled away at the end. Trailing 21-20, Oestreich and senior Taylor Foster (Ida, Mich.) combined on a block to tie it, and classmate Megan Hendershot (Galloway, Ohio) added an ace to put ODU in front. Three consecutive Wayne State errors closed the set in ODU's favor as the Panthers limited Wayne to an .061 hitting percentage in the frame.

ODU fell behind 12-6 and trailed 23-16 late in the second before making a late surge. The Panthers ripped off six straight points, with Oestreich contributing two kills and Thompson and Nadler adding one apiece, to draw within 23-22. The Warriors scored the final two points, though, to even up the match.

The Panthers played from behind in the third frame as well, trailing 14-7 and 19-14 before rallying. Foster and sophomore Patricia Barreto (Findlay, Ohio) teamed up on a block to cut it to 19-17, and a termination from Thompson cut the deficit to 23-22. Kills by Foster and Nadler and a Warrior hitting error put the Panthers on top 25-24, but again Wayne had the answer late by tallying the last three points.

ODU jumped to a 7-2 lead in the fourth set and held an 18-13 lead, but four straight attack errors by the Panthers let Wayne back in the game as part of a 7-0 run by the Warriors. Wayne State pushed the lead to 22-19, but the Panthers fought back and drew even at 24-24. Once again, though, Wayne State tallied the final two points to claim the match.

Foster led the team with 21 digs while Hendershot added 20.

Ohio Dominican closes its home schedule with a 2 p.m. match against Findlay on Saturday in Alumni Hall.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu