COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican volleyball team remained at home for the fourth straight game. The Panthers welcomed the Eagles of Ashland, falling in five gritty sets, 3-2.

Box Score Notes

• Leading the way for all hitters was Ashley Aselage (Tipp City, Ohio) with a career-high of 21 kills. The sophomore added four blocks and three digs. Joining her in double-digits was Lauren Lucas (Grove City, Ohio) with 16 kills. Lucas snagged 14 digs, added another double-double under her belt.
• In the backrow, seniors Alexis Keipert (Burlington, Ky.) and Kelsey Shoup (Dalton, Ohio) both notched 24 digs, a new career-high for Keipert. Keipert also led with two service aces.
• As a whole, the Black and Gold recorded 61 assists in the five sets. Accounting for 28 assists was Saige Avery (Yorkville, Ill.) with Gabrielle Kirker (Tallmadge, Ohio) grabbing 27. Avery netted seven digs and Kirker recorded eight. The Panthers recorded 10 blocks. Leading the way was freshman Ava Horn (Whitehouse, Ohio) with seven.

How It Happened

• The Eagles came out strong running to a 5-3 lead. AU went up as many as six, but ODU rallied late to bring it back within one. The rally wasn't enough as Ashland took the first set, 25-22.
• With a chip on their shoulders, Ohio Dominican started the second set fast, jumping to an 8-3 lead after a service ace from Horn. The Black and Gold extended their lead to 19-13 with kills form Aselage and Jenna Peters (Vermilion, Ohio). Ashland went on a five-point run late but couldn't overcome the Panthers offense as ODU took the second set 25-22.
• Once again, Ohio Dominican took an early 9-3 lead in the third set. The Panthers' lead grew to 21-11 off kills from Horn and Lucas. ODU won the last four points in route to winning the set, 25-13, taking a 2-1 lead in sets.
• The two went point-for-point in the fourth set before Ashland created space with a six-point swing, making it 14-7. The Eagles continued to have the momentum, taking the fourth set 25-12, forcing a fifth set.
• AU opened the final set with a 3-0 run but the Panthers responded and took a 9-8 lead with three consecutive kills. An Ashland error tied it at 10-all. The Eagles bounced back, winning five of the last seven points to take the set, 15-12, and win the game, 3-2.

Up Next
Ohio Dominican hits the road this weekend to take on Cedarville on Friday night and Thomas More on Saturday afternoon.