COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Lake Erie College women's volleyball team battled throughout Saturday evening's Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) matchup against Ohio Dominican University but came up short, falling to the Panthers in four sets at Alumni Hall.
Ohio Dominican claimed the match by scores of 25-19, 19-25, 25-22, and 25-21.
Ni'yah Fuggs led the Storm offensively with 12 kills, finishing with a .409 hitting percentage.
Allison Kirch added 11 kills, while
Rori Hanken contributed seven.
Kylie Anderson paced the offense with 33 assists and added five digs.
Cecelia Mullen led Lake Erie defensively with nine digs and also recorded three service aces.
Bella Kessler added eight digs and two aces, while
Dylan Fox contributed seven digs. At the net, Fuggs and Hanken each recorded three total blocks.
The Storm opened the match by falling behind early in the first set, as Ohio Dominican jumped out to a 5-0 advantage. Lake Erie worked to close the gap, pulling within 8-5 and later 17-14 behind kills from Kirch and Hanken and a pair of service aces from Kessler. However, the Panthers regained control down the stretch, closing out the set 25-19.
Lake Erie responded in the second set with a strong offensive showing. The Storm established an early advantage and used a productive stretch at the service line from Anderson, who recorded back-to-back aces, to build a 9-4 lead. Lake Erie continued to extend the margin, eventually moving ahead 16-6. Ohio Dominican attempted to rally late, but the Storm maintained control and secured a 25-19 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
The third set featured a much closer battle, with the teams trading points early before Ohio Dominican began to create separation. The Panthers built a five-point advantage at 17-12, but Lake Erie continued to fight back. Behind kills from Fuggs, Kirch and
Kennedy Stewart, the Storm pulled within one at 22-21. Ohio Dominican, however, answered with three of the final four points to take the set 25-22.
In the fourth set, Lake Erie started quickly, taking a 2-0 lead before the Panthers responded and gradually built an advantage. Ohio Dominican stretched its lead to 13-8, but the Storm battled back and cut the deficit to just one at 17-16. Lake Erie remained within striking distance late, trailing 23-21, but the Panthers scored the final two points to secure the 25-21 set victory and close out the match.
The Storm finished the match with 45 kills, 10 service aces, five total blocks, and 38 digs.
Lake Erie falls to 8-16 overall and 5-9 in G-MAC play. The Storm will return home next weekend to host Thomas More University on Friday, Nov. 6. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Jerome T. Osborne Center.
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