OWENSBORO, KY - For the first time since 2019, the Kentucky Wesleyan Volleyball team has won their conference opener. Down 2-0 early on, Wesleyan came back to take down Ohio Dominican 3-2 (13-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-13, 15-12). 

KWC now moves to 2-7 (1-0 G-MAC), while Ohio Dominican falls to 4-4 (1-1 G-MAC).  

Ohio Dominican jumped on the Panthers early, going up 13-4 and forcing an early Wesleyan timeout. Wesleyan tried to cut into the lead, but the damage was done and Wesleyan fell 25-13 in the first set. 

Wesleyan found themselves down again in the second set, but fought hard to get back, finding themselves down just 18-13 after a Julia Kupper ace. A Stella Kleffman ace and an ODU attack error allowed the home side to cut it to four, 22-18, but ODU close out the set with three straight points to go up 2-0. 

The third set saw Wesleyan take an early lead, going up 8-2 to force an ODU timeout. The visitors fought and tied it up at 11, and trailed just 18-19 late, but a 4-1 run capped off by a Claire Lange kill forced Ohio Dominican to take their second timeout. Wesleyan used another Lange kill and an attack error to seal the set victory. 

Tied at 8-8 in the fourth set, Wesleyan went on a huge 13-3 run to take a 21-11 lead. Ava Rebarchik, Olivia Patton, and Mariah Jones each notched late kills to tie the game up at 2-2.

Wesleyan came out of the gates firing in the final set, quickly going up 6-2. The Panthers kept pushing, and a Mariah Jones kill made it 13-7. On the brink of defeat, Ohio Dominican rattled off five straight points to force a KWC timeout. Nicole Hughes and Mariah Jones came out of the timeout and notched a huge block, then Hughes followed that up with a massive kill to seal the win. 

Ava Rebarchik was on fire in the game, leading the team with 12 kills and seven blocks, while also adding two aces. Olivia Patton (11) and Mariah Jones (10) each notched double-figure kills. Julia Kupper set a new career high with 41 assists in the game, while Patton led with 13 digs. 

Hitting percentage was the difference in the game, as Wesleyan hit .117 compared to .067 from ODU. The Panthers biggest set was their fourth, as they hit an incredible .593 as a team in the set. 

The Panthers home stand continues tomorrow when they host the Ashland Eagles at 2 p.m. CT. 

Stay up to date on all your Panther news by following @KWCpanthers on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page.