Volleyball Earns 3-2 Comeback Win Over Ohio Dominican

OVERVIEW – OHIO DOMINICAN

SCORE: Northwood 3, No. 21 Ohio Dominican 1 (17-25, 25-21, 14-25, 25-22, 15-9)

RECORDS: Northwood (9-3, 3-1 GLIAC), Ohio Dominican (4-6, 1-2 GLIAC)

LOCATION: Riepma Arena – Midland, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood moved to 9-3 on the season after a comeback 3-2 win over Ohio Dominican Saturday (September 24).

INSIDE THE MATCH

• Northwood led the opening set 14-11, but Ohio Dominican dominated the remainder of the frame. The Panthers scored 14 of the final 17 points to take the set 25-17.
• The second set was competitive until a late push by the Timberwolves leveled the match. The score was tied 18-18 before NU led 21-20. Northwood then scored four of the final five points to take the second set 25-21.
• Ohio Dominican led throughout the third set and controlled the play. Once the Panthers went up 8-5, Northwood got no closer than three points the rest of the frame to win 25-14 to earn a 2-1 lead.
• Northwood responded to the deficit with a strong start to the fourth set, scoring eight of the first 12 points. ODU fought back to take a 16-14 lead, but Northwood claimed five of the final seven points to win 25-22 and force a decisive fifth set.
• After Ohio Dominican scored the first two and four of the first six points of the fifth, Northwood took control. NU tied the score at four and took the lead for good at 7-6. The Timberwolves finished the match on a 10-4 run to take the fifth 15-9.

MATCH STATS

• HITTING: Northwood .121 (54-31-190), Ohio Dominican .230 (63-21-183)
• DIGS: Northwood 85 (Sommer VandenBerge – 33), Ohio Dominican 93
• BLOCKS: Northwood 5 (Colleen Mayer – 3), Ohio Dominican 9
• ACES: Northwood 3 (Brenna Murphy, Loren Westlake, Sommer VandenBerge – 1), Ohio Dominican 2

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Carson Rutherford: team-high 13 kills
• Allison Getty: 11 kills, 13 digs
• Sydney Greulich/Colleen Mayer: 10 kills each
• Hailey Jones: 49 assists, 14 digs
• Sommer VandenBerge: 33 digs

 NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Last season, it was Ohio Dominican who earned a comeback five-set win over Northwood. The Panthers won the final three sets to beat NU 3-2 (21-25, 13-25, 25-23, 26-24, 15-9)
• Vandenberg's 33 digs are the most for a Northwood player since Kiana Martinez also had 33 digs at Grand Valley State last season (11/6/15).

COACH SHUMAKER SAYS

• "It was really great to get a tough, 5-set win."
• "Early on, we struggled in the longer rallies. Against bigger teams like Ohio Dominican, you have to keep your composure, and win the long rallies by taking smart hits early and getting the flashy kills when the opportunities arise."
• "In the final two sets, we were able to increase our defensive discipline. This allowed us to make some great plays down the stretch."

UP NEXT

• Northwood will travel to Hillsdale Tuesday night (September 24). Match time is set for 7 p.m.