Ohio Dominican Volleyball Beats Ursuline and Lake Erie at Home

The Ohio Dominican Panthers volleyball team wrapped up their home schedule at Alumni Hall in Columbus with a commanding pair of victories, defeating the Ursuline Arrows in straight sets on Friday (Oct. 30) evening before honoring the seniors with a four-set victory over the Lake Erie Storm on Saturday (Oct. 31) evening.

With these weekend matches in the books, the Panthers improved their overall record to 21-6 and 11-3 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The team now turns its full attention toward the final match of the regular season, scheduled for Friday (Nov. 6) at Ashland, the top ranked team in the G-MAC.

Dominating the Arrows in Straight Sets

The weekend opened with a clinical performance against Ursuline, who dropped to 3-24 overall and 0-13 in conference play. Ohio Dominican set the tone early in the first set by hammering down 17 kills on 33 attempts to hit .455. After erasing an early 2-1 deficit with a 5-0 run, the Panthers weathered a brief tie at 10-10 by closing out the frame with a decisive 15-7 run to win 25-17.

Annie Fincham powered the opening attack with five kills. The offensive pressure continued into the second set as ODU overcame 10 errors to secure a 25-18 victory, fueled by a 14-4 run that put the frame out of reach. The third and final set showcased the most efficient volleyball of the night. The Panthers went wire-to-wire, hitting .483 with 17 kills on 29 attempts to complete the sweep with a 25-16 score. Sylvia Haughn delivered five of her seven kills in this final stanza.

When the dust settled on Friday night, the statistical gulf was immense. Ohio Dominican accumulated 45 kills and 43 assists compared to just 19 kills and 16 assists for Ursuline. The Panthers also held the Arrows to a .000 hitting percentage while posting a .327 clip of their own.

Honoring Seniors with a Four-Set Battle

Saturday night brought a different kind of energy to Alumni Hall as the program paused to celebrate its seniors before squaring off against the Lake Erie Storm, who entered the contest at 8-16 overall and 5-9 in the G-MAC. The Panthers carried that emotional momentum straight into the opening set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and maintaining control throughout a 25-19 win.

Lake Erie punched back in the second set, refusing to trail at any point while mounting a strong offensive response. The Storm recorded 14 kills and hit .290, holding ODU to a mere .032 hitting percentage to level the match with a 25-19 victory of their own.

Stung by the second-set setback, Ohio Dominican recalibrated. The third set saw the hosts register 19 kills on a .295 hitting percentage, allowing them to carve out crucial separation and grind out a 25-22 win. Fincham anchored this crucial bounce-back frame with five kills.

The fourth and final set featured the home team’s most lethal offense of the weekend. The Panthers fired off 19 kills on just 28 attempts with only three errors, translating to a scorching .571 hitting percentage. Fincham added six more kills in this closing frame, sealing the 25-21 set win and securing the four-set match victory.

The Road Ahead in the G-MAC

Closing out a home slate with back-to-back wins provides a potent springboard, but the challenge awaiting the Panthers on Friday (Nov. 6) represents the test the conference has to offer. Traveling to face Ashland will demand every ounce of the offensive efficiency ODU displayed over the weekend as they look to cap off their regular-season campaign against the top ranked team in the G-MAC.