HILLSDALE, MI - The Ohio Dominican volleyball team remained on the road last night—this time in Hillsdale, Michigan—to open Great Midwest play. After a strong weekend at Frostburg State, where they went 2-1, the Panthers entered Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena and came away with a historic win: their first-ever victory at Hillsdale. The win also snapped a 13-match losing streak against the Chargers and marked their first triumph over Hillsdale since 2014. Ohio Dominican secured a 3-1 victory, highlighted by two dominant opening sets.
Freshman outside hitter Logan Rubel led the Black and Gold with 18 kills. Right behind her was Jenna Peters, who contributed 15 kills, 8 digs, one ace, and one block. Grace Zinchuk was a force at the net, leading the team with four blocks and adding 14 crucial kills. Lauren Dinunzi made a major impact from the service line, tallying five aces.
Setter Saige Avery dished out 31 assists and recorded 12 digs, while fellow setter Gabrielle Kirker added 24 assists. Libero Christen Tarter led the defensive effort with 19 digs and chipped in with five assists.
As a team, the Panthers totaled 66 kills to Hillsdale's 57 and committed only four errors in the first two sets. They posted a .367 attacking percentage across four sets and outpaced Hillsdale in assists (62–51) and service aces (9–3).
How It Happened
Both teams came out strong, trading points early to a 12-12 tie. The Panthers pulled ahead late in the first set thanks to two powerful kills from Jenna Peters, giving ODU a 21-18 lead. Ashley Aselage and Logan Rubel added two more kills to close the set, giving ODU a 1-0 advantage.
Set two mirrored the intensity of the first but saw the Panthers jump out to an early lead with strong attacks from Rubel and Peters. Midway through the set, ODU went on a five-point run to stretch the lead to 18-11 and closed out the set in dominant fashion with two big attacks from Brynn Clark.
Hillsdale answered in set three, which again featured back-and-forth action. The Chargers gained momentum with a mid-set four-point run and eventually claimed the set 25-18, forcing a fourth.
In the final set, the Panthers didn't shy away after Hillsdale took an early 12-8 lead. Following a seven-point rally by the Chargers, ODU battled back to tie the score at 15-15 behind key kills from Rubel and Peters. From there, the Panthers took control and handed Hillsdale its first conference loss of the season with a 25-19 win.
Up Next
Ohio Dominican has one more road match before returning home to Alumni Hall. They'll travel to Midland, Michigan, to face the 3-3 Northwood Timberwolves inside Riepma Arena at 5 p.m. tonight.
