COLUMBUS, Ohio – For a second straight day, Ohio Dominican's volleyball team challenged one of the G-MAC's top teams, but came up just shy again as the Panthers fell 3-1 (25-19, 15-25, 16-25, 21-25) to visiting Hillsdale Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers came out strong, racking up 16 kills while hitting .351 in the first set and limiting the Chargers to a .189 hitting percentage. Leading 10-9, ODU scored four straight on a kill from junior Kelly Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio) and another from freshman Alyssa Hoyng (Celina, Ohio), followed by a Hillsdale hitting error and a dig by junior Jordan Jaeckin (Olmsted Falls, Ohio) that fell over the net for a kill.

The Panthers stretched the lead to 18-12 on an ace by junior Anna Ficker (Cincinnati, Ohio), and the Chargers drew no closer than three points for the rest of the frame.

Hillsdale answered in the second set, opening on an 8-2 run to take control early, and ODU would hit just .071 in the third set as Hillsdale closed it on a 12-3 run.

The fourth set was tight throughout, with seven ties and a pair of lead changes. ODU jumped to a 6-3 lead and forced a Hillsdale timeout, and the set stayed close until it was tied at 16. Hillsdale then ripped off five straight points, but ODU countered with four straight of its own, capped by a Hoyng kill, to close within 21-20.

However, Hillsdale tallied four of the last five points of the match to close it out.

ODU hit .195 in the match, with four players registering nine or more kills. Hoyng led the team with 12 kills and hit .321, and junior Rebecca Skidmore (Westerville, Ohio) added 11 kills with a .417 hitting percentage. Junior Patricia Barreto (Findlay, Ohio) registered 10 kills and Nadler finished with nine.

Freshman Ashton Barr had 43 assists and Ficker led four Panthers in double figures in digs with 20. Freshman Dharma Jolas (Fort Wayne, Ind.) had a season-best 14, freshman Alexis Young (Gahanna, Ohio) had 13 and Jaeckin tallied 12 digs.

Ohio Dominican (4-22, 3-11 G-MAC) is back home for a non-conference meeting with Notre Dame College at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu