COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's volleyball team challenged visiting Grand Valley before ultimately falling in four sets (23-25, 26-24, 22-25, 24-26) in GLIAC play Friday night.

The Panthers rallied from a pair of 10 point deficits in the second set to take it 26-24, and had a lead of 22-20 in the third and 20-16 in the fourth before GVSU came back for the win.

Senior Megan Hendershot (Galloway, Ohio) set a career high with 34 digs and classmate Tory Thompson (Quincy, Ohio) led all players with 20 kills while hitting .242. Fellow senior Jackie Oestreich (Brighton, Mich.) added 11 kills and hit .364 to inch within seven kills of 1,000 for her career.

The opening set swung back-and-forth with seven ties and three lead changes. The Panthers took an 18-17 lead on a kill by sophomore Patricia Barreto (Findlay, Ohio), but GVSU answered with three straight tallies to go in front. The Panthers stayed within a point on a trio of occasions, including at 24-23 on Oestreich's kill, but the Lakers scored the final point to end the set.

GVSU started the second set on a 6-1 run and led by 10 twice, including at 19-9. Trailing 22-15, ODU ripped off five straight points, with Oestreich picking up a pair of kills, then combining with senior Taylor Foster (Ida, Mich.) on a block to make it 22-20.

The Lakers took a 24-21 advantage, but the Panthers took advantage of a trio of Laker hitting errors and two setting miscues to pull off the comeback.

GVSU started the third set off strongly as well, jumping in front 9-2, but the Panthers responded with a 14-4 burst to take a 16-13 lead. ODU was still on top 22-20 after a kill from Oestreich, but this time it was the Panthers making several miscues down the stretch to allow Grand Valley to recover and take the frame.

The Panthers then led throughout much of the fourth set, leading by as much as five at 16-11 following a Thompson termination. Trailing 20-16, GVSU put together a 6-1 run to go in front 22-21, and the lead changed hands over the ensuing points. Knotted at 24, the Lakers scored the final two points on an ace and a kill to escape with the win.

ODU hit .218 in the match, compared to .220 for Grand Valley.

The Panthers are back in action at 5 p.m. Saturday against Ferris State in Alumni Hall.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu