HILLSDALE, Mich. – On Saturday afternoon, the Ohio Dominican volleyball team made history by playing in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship match against the top-seeded Chargers of Hillsdale. The Black and Gold took the Chargers to five sets, the first time in G-MAC history, ultimately falling 3-2.
Box Score Notes

• Leading the way for the Panthers and securing a spot on the G-MAC All-Tournament team was Jenna Peters (Vermilion, Ohio) with 21 kills. The sophomore added four digs, three blocks, and a .333 hitting percentage.
• Joining Peters on the All-Tournament team was Kelsey Shoup (Dalton, Ohio). Shoup recorded 27 kills in tonight's match. The senior added a service ace and an assist. Following Shoup was Lauren Lucas (Grove City, Ohio) with 15 digs and Alexis Keipert (Burlington, Ky.) with seven.
• Netting 13 kills was Ashley Aselage (Tipp City, Ohio) and Grace Zinchuk (Schaumburg, Ill.). Aselage recorded three digs while Zinchuk had four. Leading the team in blocks was Ava Horn (Whitehouse, Ohio) with six.
• Once again, Gabrielle Kirker (Tallmadge, Ohio) registered 33 assists, along with six digs and three service aces. Fellow setter, Saige Avery (Yorkville, Ill.) grabbed 24 assists, three digs, and a service ace.

How It Happened

• In the opening set, the Panthers grabbed the first two points before the Chargers answered with five straight, making it 5-2. Hillsdale doubled their lead, but Ohio Dominican responded with a 6-0 run to tie it at 12. Peters grabbed three kills to push the Black and Gold in front, taking a 17-13 lead. The Chargers rallied late, ending the first set with an eight to one run, winning it 25-21.
• In the second set, HC ran out to a 9-5 lead with ODU eventually tying it at 12-all with a Zinchuk kill. The Chargers pulled away with two long runs, winning the set 25-17, taking a 2-0 lead.
• The two traded points to open the third set. The Panthers took a two-point lead, but the Chargers quickly evened it at nine. The Black and Gold regained the lead and pushed it to five, making it 20-15. HC brought it within one with a late run, but ODU remained strong, winning four of the final five points to take the set 25-21.
• In the fourth set, Ohio Dominican took an early 5-1 lead. Hillsdale tied it at nine before the two went back and forth. The Panthers snagged three kills and a service ace in a 5-0 run to put them ahead 18-15. ODU remained ahead the rest of the set, winning it 25-21 to force a winner takes all set.
• The Chargers started strong by winning the first three points. Hillsdale continued to push, winning the race to eight, making it 8-5. HC went ahead six, but the Black and Gold cut that in half with two Peters kills and a block. The Panthers fought until the end but fell to the Chargers, 15-11.

 
Ohio Dominican ended their season as the G-MAC Tournament runner-up with a 17-14 overall record and an 11-8 mark in the conference. The Black and Gold made history by making it to the Championship match for the first time since becoming a Division II Institution. The Panthers made G-MAC history by being the lowest seed ever to make it to the Championship match and by taking the seven-time G-MAC Champions, Hillsdale College, to five sets for the first time ever in the Championship match.