OWENSBORO, KY. - The Kentucky Wesleyan College volleyball team picked-up a pair of wins on Friday afternoon at Jones Gymnasium on Ray Harper Court. The Panthers hosting the annual Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational defeated Oakland City University 3-0 and came-back against Kentucky State to earn a 3-1 victory. 

The Mighty Oaks (3-5) already had a victory under their belt, defeating Brescia earlier in the morning. The Panthers (2-4) excited the home crowd with a fast start, taking a 10-3 lead. OCU made thing slightly uncomfortable cutting into Wesleyan's lead 18-16. Julia Moran ended the opening frame with a kill, 25-21. 

The Panthers erased a 17-13 deficit in the second game, winning four straight points with Sierra Morrow ending the rally with a kill and tying the set a 17. Kentucky Wesleyan continued its run and built a 21-19 lead, outscoring the Mighty Oaks 8-2 in the run. However, OCU was sitting on the set point 24-22 when Moran converted back-to-back kills followed by a block assist to return a 25-24 lead to the Panthers. Audrey Baysinger made it four unanswered points, ending the set 26-24.

The third set was back and forth the entire way as the Panthers held a .333 attacking percentage for the game and .262 for the match. Wesleyan converted the straight set win, 25-23. Moran finished with 12 kills while Jaylen Mcewen added 10 kills and 15 digs. 

Despite a late rally by the Panthers in the opening set against the Thorobreds (2-1) took a 1-0 lead after a 25-21 win. The late momentum captured by Wesleyan carried over to the second set as they faced a 17-11 deficit. The Panthers won 14 of 16 points, including the last 11 points to even the match after a 25-19 victory. 

The Panthers dominated the third set, hitting .500 and coasted to a 25-14 win. In the fourth, KSU showed more fight and took a 21-18 lead. The Panthers notched three quick points to tie the frame. Moran sparked another rally as Wesleyan trailed 24-22. The Panthers scored four straight points to end the match as Kylie Foster ended the day with an ace. 

Gabrielle Gallois finished with 11 kills to lead the Panthers. Courtney Gildea set-up the offense with 22 assists while Foster added 21. Nicole Venema led the team defensively with 24 digs. 

The Panthers will play to more matches tomorrow as the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational continues at 9 AM and continues throughout the day. 

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