CANTON, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's volleyball team couldn't protect 2-0 leads against Mercyhurst and Notre Dame, falling in five sets to each as the Panthers concluded play at the Hall of Fame City Challenge on Saturday.

In the opener against Mercyhurst, ODU (2-2) outhit the Lakers .200-.172. Senior Tory Thompson (Quincy, Ohio) tallied 18 kills, senior Jackie Oestreich (Brighton, Mich.) added 17, and sophomore Kelly Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio) finished with seven to go along with five aces. Senior Taylor Foster (Ida, Mich.) recorded eight kills with a team-high 18 digs as well.

Behind the serving of Nadler, who had three aces in the spurt, ODU went on a 12-0 run to close the first set with a 25-15 win. Thompson had a trio of kills during that run as well.

ODU crept away from the Lakers in the second set, as the Panthers used a 6-2 spurt to close out the frame with a 25-19 win. Leading 19-17, Thompson and Oestreich combined for five points on kills and aces, and freshman Leah Howser (Lewis Center, Ohio) sealed it with another kill.

In the third set, ODU led 16-15 before Mercyhurst scored the next four points and came away with an eventual 25-21 win. The Panthers then trailed 17-10 in the fourth before forging even at 21-21. The teams swapped points until, tied at 24 apiece, the Lakers put it away with the final two points.

The fifth set was knotted at 8-8, but Mercyhurst again finished strong, scoring the next six points en route to a 15-9 win.

Against Notre Dame (2-2), Nadler nearly matched a career high as she finished with 15 kills, one shy of a personal best, while hitting .367. Oestreich put up 19 kills with a .320 hitting percentage.

Jordan Jaeckin (Olmsted Falls, Ohio) had 24 assists, Bailey Line (Westerville, Ohio) added 23, and senior Megan Hendershot (Galloway, Ohio) led ODU with 21 digs.

The Panthers led 19-18 in the first set before pulling away with a 25-20 win, and Nadler had two kills late in the second set to help ODU take it by a 25-21 count.

Notre Dame countered with 25-21 wins in each of the next two frames, and ODU never led in the fifth set as the Falcons scored the final three points to win it 15-11.

Ohio Dominican will play three matches at the TownePlace Suites Classic hosted by Findlay, starting at 12:30 p.m. Friday against Pitt-Johnstown.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu