OWENSBORO, KY. – In front of a near capacity crowd inside Jones Gymnasium, the Kentucky Wesleyan College volleyball team advanced into the semi-finals of the Great Midwest Conference Championship Tournament. The Panthers took down Cedarville University 3-1 in a spirited contest, reaching to the final four for the first time since the 2014 season.
 
After being in so many tight matches this season, the Panthers (16-11) showed their experience throughout the contest. The Yellow Jackets (16-11) opened the contest by winning six of the first seven points. Unphased and with a crowd ready to erupt, Wesleyan rattled-off seven straight points to take the lead. The run was ended by a kill from Sierra Morrow.
 
Cedarville pulled-away again, this time taking a 17-13 advantage. The Panthers bounced back yet again with four straight points, tying the set on Lydia Jackson's ace. The Yellow Jackets responded to edge in front 20-18, but the Panthers tied the set at 20. In perhaps the longest rally of night Jackson converted a spectacular kill as the Panthers picked-up two passes inches from the floor to set-up the point. An ace by Danielle Brouillette followed and Wesleyan led 22-20.
 
However, fortune favored Cedarville as they won five of the next six points to close out the opening set. The Panthers quickly evened the match by storming through the second set 25-15. As all eyes pointed to the third set, the Yellow Jackets looked to seize momentum, building a 19-10 lead. Jaylen McEwen sprinkled in two aces as the Panthers won six points in a row to pull within three. After a kill by Liene Miller, Alexa Davis ended a 3-0 run to get Wesleyan back within one, 20-19.
 
The Panthers tied the set at 21 after a block assists by Morrow and Nicole Martin. A service error looked to have slowed momentum, but the Panthers won four of the next five points to take the set 25-23.
 
Cedarville again took an early lead in the fourth frame, but the Panthers barreled ahead, eventually winning seven of eight points to build a 17-10 lead. The run was highlighted by four straight aces from Brouillette. The match ended with four-straight points, two kills form McEwen and two solo blocks rom Brouillette.
 
McEwen finished with 11 kills and 24 digs on the night. Brouillette notched three kills, but accounted for eight aces. Both Jackson and Kylie Foster dished out 15 assists.
 
Throughout the night, all the top seeds in the Great Midwest Conference won on their respective home courts to advance into the semi-finals. The Panthers will travel to Hillsdale, the top seed on Friday for the final-four. The match is scheduled for 4 PM CT.