INDIANA, Pa. – The Ohio Dominican volleyball team continued its strong form from the 2021 spring season, opening its traditional fall campaign with a pair of 3-0 victories over Frostburg State and Indiana (PA) on Friday evening, Sept. 3.

The Panthers, for the second time in 2021, have opened a new season 2-0. ODU opened the fall campaign with a 25-21, 25-12, 25-21 triumph over Frostburg State. The Black & Gold then ousted the host, IUP, by a final count of 25-20, 35-33, 25-22.

BOX SCORE NOTES

• Senior Amanda Remmetter (Springfield, Ohio) and sophomore Olivia Kirksey (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) combined for over 53 percent of ODU's point total, producing 59.5 points over six sets.
• Remmetter tallied 24 kills Friday, including a team-best 13 in the opener against the Bobcats. The senior added all four of her aces, hit .423, and pitched in five digs versus FSU as well.
• Kirksey, appearing in just her second and third collegiate matches respectively, paced the Panthers with 26 kills. The sophomore joined Remmetter as the only ODU athletes to register double-digit kills in both matches, including a team-high 14 in the night cap, while also hitting .305 over six sets.
• Junior Emilee Fecht (Hilliard, Ohio) finished the opening night with 14 kills and three blocks, while classmate Madison Smith (Elyria, Ohio) added 11 kills and nine digs against IUP.
• Smith finished the day with 18 digs, tying junior Carleigh Deitsch (St. Henry, Ohio) for second most on the team. Deitsch also led ODU with 72 assists, 12.0 per set, and six total aces.
• Sophomore Kelsey Shoup (Dalton, Ohio) recorded an ODU-high 20 digs Friday.
• As a team, ODU hit .207 over the two matches, while holding FSU and IUP to a combined .092 hitting clip.
• The Panthers also enjoyed a 16-5 advantage in service aces and were a perfect 52-for-52 in service receptions against FSU.

HOW IT HAPPENED (FROSTBURG STATE)

• ODU scored the first three points of its season, but eventually trailed FSU 10-9.
• The Panthers though, recaptured control of the first set with a 6-0 scoring run, capped by a Deitsch ace.
• Again, trailing by one point late, ODU closed the opening set on a 6-1 spurt, with Remmetter securing the game victory with her seventh kill of the set.
• The Panthers never trailed in the second set, with the Bobcats only forcing ties at 1-1 and 2-2.
• A 6-0 scoring run gave ODU an 8-2 advantage, as they cruised to a 25-12 decision.
• The third set was tied at 18-all, but the Black & Gold scored four of the next six points to control the set late and eventually held on, 25-21, with a match-winning kill from Fecht.

HOW IT HAPPENED (IUP)

• In the nightcap, ODU only trailed once over the first and third sets.
• The Panthers scored the opening four points in Game One and never trailed en route to a 25-20 victory.
• Similarly in the third frame, ODU tallied four of the first five points. IUP closed its set deficit to as few as two points late, but a Kirksey kill clinched the match.
• Set Two was the game of the night, as ODU outlasted the Crimson Hawks 35-33.
• The middle set saw the two teams combine for 13 ties and eight lead changes.
• ODU and IUP combined for 12 set point opportunities in Game Two, but the Panthers scored three of the final four points, capped with a kill by Smith.

UP NEXT

• Ohio Dominican closes out its stay at the IUP Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 4.
• The Panthers open against Tusculum at 12:30 p.m. before capping the weekend at 4 p.m. versus Shepherd.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu