PAINESVILLE, Ohio – Kentucky Wesleyan volleyball (6-21, 2-13 G-MAC) closed out the 2026 season with a five-set victory over Lake Erie (9-17, 6-10 G-MAC), 3-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Emmy Goering led Kentucky Wesleyan with 16 kills, 14 digs, and nine total blocks.
Hadley Wolfe finished with 15 kills while hitting .462 and added nine total blocks.
Kami Parlin contributed 11 kills.
Ana De Sevilla-Acosta recorded 30 assists, and
Sophie Spanier led the Panthers with 25 digs. Gracie Lewis added five service aces as Kentucky Wesleyan totaled 56 kills, 11 aces, and 80 digs in the win.
Lake Erie 2-3 Kentucky Wesleyan (25-20, 26-28, 25-18, 20-25, 11-15)
SET ONE: Lake Erie 25-20 Kentucky Wesleyan
Kentucky Wesleyan kept the opening set competitive before Lake Erie built a lead midway through. The Panthers faced a 17-11 deficit but chipped away, using kills from Goering, Parlin, and Wolfe to close the gap. Kentucky Wesleyan pulled within three at 22-19, and later 23-20, but Lake Erie scored the final two points to take the set, 25-20.
SET TWO: Lake Erie 26-28 Kentucky Wesleyan
The Panthers responded with a tightly contested second set that featured several lead changes and 10 ties. Kentucky Wesleyan built a 7-3 advantage early, but Lake Erie answered with a four-point run to even the score. The teams continued trading points, and the Panthers used a late push from Goering,
Abigail Butterworth, and Parlin to tie the set at 23-23. After Lake Erie reached set point, Kentucky Wesleyan fought off the opportunity and eventually evened the score at 26-26. Butterworth delivered a kill to put the Panthers ahead, and Goering followed with a service ace to secure the 28-26 win.
SET THREE: Lake Erie 25-18 Kentucky Wesleyan
Lake Erie took control early in the third set, building an 11-5 advantage. Kentucky Wesleyan worked its way back behind a pair of kills from Parlin and a block from Wolfe and Butterworth, cutting the deficit to 15-11. The Panthers continued their push and tied the set at 16-16 with a block from Wolfe and Goering. Lake Erie answered with a run to regain control and closed out the set, 25-18.
SET FOUR: Lake Erie 20-25 Kentucky Wesleyan
Kentucky Wesleyan fell behind 3-0 to start the fourth set but quickly responded with six consecutive points to take a 6-4 lead. The Panthers continued to build their advantage, with kills from Goering and Wolfe helping push the margin to 13-7. Kentucky Wesleyan extended the lead to 22-11 before Lake Erie mounted a late rally, scoring seven of the next nine points. The Panthers held their ground and got a kill from Butterworth to close out the 25-20 set win and force a decisive fifth set.
SET FIVE: Lake Erie 11-15 Kentucky Wesleyan
The Panthers opened the deciding set with three straight points and maintained the lead after Lake Erie briefly tied the score at 3-3. Kentucky Wesleyan regained momentum with a run that included a kill from Parlin and a service ace from
Grace Lewis, building a 9-5 advantage. The Panthers continued to pull away and led 14-7 before Lake Erie scored four consecutive points to make it 14-11. Kentucky Wesleyan finished the match on the next point, taking the set 15-11 and securing the five-set victory.
Visit kwcpanthers.com/give today to make a gift to Kentucky Wesleyan Athletics! Gifts can be directed to general athletics, our athletic endowment, or any of our 14 NCAA Division II programs.
Stay up to date on all your Panther news by following @KWCPanthers on X and Instagram and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page. Also, the Panthers Mobile App is available on iTunes and Android, featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details, and more.
