Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- The Ohio Dominican volleyball team continued its strong start to the 2021 fall season with a pair of wins on the opening day of the Charleston Golden Eagle Invitational on Friday, Sept. 10.
The Panthers opened the day with a 3-0 win over Chowan (N.C)., 25-18, 25-22, 25-16. ODU then capped the day with a thrilling five-set triumph over the host, Charleston, 27-25, 23-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13.
With the doubleheader sweep, Ohio Dominican improves to 4-2 this fall.
-
After a solid opening weekend, the trio of senior Amanda Remmetter (Springfield, Ohio), junior Emilee Fecht (Hilliard, Ohio) and sophomore Olivia Kirksey (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) led the Panther offense again on Friday.
-
Remmetter and Fecht both hit over .500 in the win over Chowan, logging new single match highs for their careers, and combining for 24 kills in three sets.
-
Kirksey paced the Panthers with a career-high 18 kills in the nightcap versus the Eagles, where she hit .361.
-
Remmetter added a double-double versus UC with 13 kills and 10 digs.
-
Fecht pitched in 17 kills, five digs and four blocks in the final game of the day.
-
Defensively, sophomore Kelsey Shoup (Dalton, Ohio), fresh off being named G-MAC South Defensive Player of the Week, led ODU with 47 digs, including 31 against Charleston.
-
Junior Madison Smith (Elyria, Ohio) registered 20 digs in the nightcap and finished the doubleheader with 15 kills and 28 digs.
-
Junior Carleigh Deitsch (St. Henry, Ohio) posted 70 assists over two matches, 8.8 per set. Deitsch also added five service aces, giving her a team-high 14 this season.
-
The Panthers enjoyed a team hitting percentage of .306 in the match, never hitting below .225 in a single set.
-
ODU also held a 4-0 edge in total team blocks.
-
The Panthers trailed 8-2 in the opening set, but after battling back, a 5-0 run, capped by consecutive service aces from Remmetter gave them a 25-18 victory.
-
ODU and Chowan combined for four ties and four lead changes in the second set, but the Black & Gold were powered by 10 kills on 15 total attacks (.667) from Remmetter and Fecht to win 25-22.
-
Again, the Panthers closed the second game strongly, ending the frame on a 9-1 scoring run.
-
ODU had four players post three or more kills in the final set.
-
With Game Three tied at eight-all, ODU rattled off eight of the next nine points to capture control.
-
A kill from Remmetter secured the three-set sweep with a 25-16 decision.
HOW IT HAPPENED (CHARLESTON)
-
All five sets were decided by four points or less in the second half of the doubleheader with Charleston.
-
Over five games, ODU and UC combined for 26 ties and 14 lead changes.
-
Kirksey had six of her team-high 18 kills in the opening set, which also featured three assisted blocks from Deitsch.
-
Neither team led by more than three points in the opening game, but ODU did trail by three late, 24-21. A 6-1 spurt though gave the Panthers the set, 27-25.
-
The Panthers trailed by as many as four points in the second set, but still clawed to a 23-23 stalemate.
-
Charleston though, took advantage of an ODU service and attacking error to claim the final two points and win 25-23.
-
ODU bounced back in the third set, scoring the first eight points en route to never trailing in a 25-21 decision, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
-
Charleston needed to take the fourth set to keep the match alive. The Panthers led 8-7 early, but that would be their final lead in a 25-22 setback, which forced a decisive fifth frame.
-
The sprint to 15 points saw UC jump out to an early 4-1 advantage.
-
The Eagles still led midway through the frame, 9-6, forcing an ODU timeout.
-
Two big blocks from Kirksey, along with junior Carissa Baker (Marysville, Ohio), ignited the Panthers to rally to a 15-13 win.
-
The UC Golden Eagle Invitational is set to conclude Saturday, Sept. 11.
-
ODU will face IUP and Winston Salem State (N.C.) at noon and 5 p.m., respectively.
jestert@ohiodominican.edu
