OWENSBORO, KY. - The Kentucky Wesleyan College volleyball team returned to Owensboro to host its own invitational on Friday. Wesleyan swept the day with two impressive victories. The Panthers defeated Bluefield State College 3-0 and in dramatic fashion erased a 2-1 deficit in the night cap to upend Maryville University in five sets. 

The Panthers (3-3) had no trouble in the dispatching of Bluefield State. The match lasted less than an hour while Wesleyan filled-up the stat sheet. Kylie Foster finished with nine assists in setting-up the offense. Cate Hyde collected five kills while Kori Weaver recorded 13 digs. The Panthers held an attacking percentage over .300 in the match. 

In the final match of the day, the Panthers extracted revenge over Maryville University. The Saints (2-4) took a 1-0 lead by winning the opening set 25-19. In the second frame, the Panthers doubled-up the Saints by building a 14-7 lead midway through the set. The cushion was exactly what the Panthers needed to tie the match, winning the frame 25-17. 

The third set saw more back and forth action as quick 3-0 rally, ending on Karrah Cron's ace gave the Panthers a 16-14 lead. The Saints did not let Wesleyan escape with ease as they tied the frame at 22 and won the final four points with strong defense.

As the momentum clearly shifted back to Maryville, the Saints raced out to a 8-3 lead at the start of the fourth. The Panthers would not go quietly as Jaylen McEwen finished a 4-0 run that brought Wesleyan within 9-8. 

Julia Moran's kill tied the set at 17 while back-to-back aces by Cron gave the Panthers a 19-17 lead. Wesleyan won 10 of the final 12 points to win the set 25-19 and force a fifth. 

Weaver's ace midway through the fifth set gave the Panthers a 8-7 lead while kills from Moran and McEwen ended a 4-0 rally that built a 10-7 lead. The Saints mounted a comeback and won four of five points to pull within 14-13. As Maryville fought-off two match points, the Panthers seized victory on a kill by Nicole Martin. 

Martin posted a career-high 19 kills in the victory. McEwen added 12 kills and 17 digs on the night. Danielle Brouilette recorded 10 kills while Lydia Jackson dished out 25 assists and Cron added 20 assists. Nilah Roy recorded a team-best 28 digs. 

The Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational continues on Saturday. The Panthers will host six games throughout the day, but will play Fisk at 3 PM and conclude the event with a 7PM meeting with Oakland City.