EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Ohio Dominican volleyball team opened play at the Southern Indiana Invitational Thursday evening, falling to the host Screaming Eagles, 3-0.

ODU and USI opened the new Screaming Eagles Arena Thursday evening, with the home team securing a 25-12, 26-24, 25-15 decision.

Sophomore Riley Kizer (Mason, Ohio) led the team with seven kills on the night. Senior Allie Rutter (Fostoria, Ohio) registered a team-best six assists to go along with nine digs.

Defensively, freshman Kamryn Maxwell (Norwalk, Ohio) led ODU with 11 digs, while sophomores Abbi Gillson (Canton, Ohio) and Amanda Remmetter (Springfield, Ohio) recorded four blocks each.

The Black & Gold led for most of the second set, as a 6-1 scoring run, gave ODU a 14-8 advantage. Kills from Kizer, Gillson and Maxwell highlighted the spurt for the Panthers, who tied their largest lead at 21-15. Southern Indiana though, cut the deficit in half, 23-20, before finishing the set with six of the final seven points.

Early, decisive scoring runs doomed the Panthers (0-8) in the opening and closing frames. The Screaming Eagles (4-4) trailed just once in the first set, 3-2, and used a 12-1 run in the third set to secure the match victory.

Ohio Dominican finished with an 8-7 edge in total blocks. However, USI doubled the Panthers in kills and held a 9-0 advantage in service aces.

The Black & Gold will continue play at the USI Invitational at 12:15 p.m. CDT, Friday, Sept. 20, against Kentucky State.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu