OWENSBORO, KY - Julia Kupper obliterated her career high with 54 assists on Sunday afternoon, the most for a Panther since Lydia Jackson notched 54 in a 2017 contest vs. Alderson Broaddus. Despite this performance, the Panthers fell just short to Tiffin, dropping this one 3-2 (25-20, 15-25, 25-19, 23-25, 13-15). 

Tiffin improves to 6-4 (1-1 G-MAC) while Wesleyan falls to 2-9 (1-2 G-MAC). 

The Panthers used a big 6-1 run late in the first set to take an 18-13 lead. Continuing to push, kills from Olivia Patton, Mariah Jones, and Julia Kupper extended the lead to 23-16. Nicole Hughes closed it out with a big kill to take the set 25-20. 

With Wesleyan up 6-5 early in the second set, Tiffin went on a big 11-3 run to take a 16-9 lead midway through the set. The Panthers failed to get back in it and fell 25-15 in the set. 

The home side got right back in rhythm in the third set, taking an 11-7 lead after three kills from Patton and an ace from Embry Burgess. The Panthers kept pressing, eventually taking a 20-12 lead on a kill from Claire Lange. The Panthers closed out the set and took a 2-1 led after three. 

The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle all the way. After multiple lead changes throughout, Wesleyan eventually forced a Tiffin timeout thanks to kills from Ava Rebarchik and Tessa-Jo Allen that gave KWC a 20-17 lead. The Dragons came back with four straight points, and used that momentum to propel them to a 25-23 set win. 

The fifth and final set was a close one, with Wesleyan tying it a 10-10 thanks to kills from Hughes and Rebarchik. Another mini-run by the Dragons hurt the Panthes, as Tiffin quickly went up 14-11. Wesleyan managed to cut it to one, but Tiffin got the final point and took the game 3-2. 

Olivia Patton, who went down with injury in the fourth set, led the way with 14 kills. Nicole Hughes (12), Ava Rebarchik (12), and Claire Lange (12) each notched double-figures in kills. Julia Kupper's 54 assists are tied for the fifth most in a game since the 2010 season. Rebarchik and Kupper each notched three blocks, while Stella Kleffman set a new career high with 23 digs. 

The Panthers will open homecoming weekend with a Friday matchup vs. Malone in the HRC. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT.

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