For the second time in as many games, the Tiffin University volleyball team fell behind early, but found a way to fight back and pull out a five set win against GLIAC foe Ohio Dominican.
In set one it was all ODU, as the Panthers built a double digit lead, and eventually won by the final score of 25-17. Set two was more of the same. The Panthers built a lead and never looked back. In the set, the Dragons committed 11 errors, to aid the Panthers to a 25-19 win.
With the ODU faithful thinking they had a sweep in hand, the TU bench was thinking otherwise. The Dragons came out with energy and dominated the third set. Tiffin built a 6-2 advantage before a Panther timeout. Ohio Dominican closed the gap, but the Dragons went on a 16-10 run to finish off the third set at 25-16.
With momentum starting to build, the Dragons were back on the attack in the fourth, hitting at a .294 clip, while holding ODU to .129. Tiffin held a slim 13-11 lead halfway through the set, but quickly made their move before the Panthers knew what hit them. Tiffin sprinted ahead, using a 6-0 run to go up 19-11, and ultimately win the set 25-18.
In the fifth and final set, The Dragons were as ferocious as their namesake, slamming kill after kill. Victoria Turnbough started the set with three consecutive points, racking up two kills and a block. The Panthers never knew what hit them, trailing 7-0 before calling a timeout to regroup. After the break in action, TU continued to build their lead, going up 12-3. The final point came courtesy of Turnbough as she walled off the net and blocked the Panthers final attempt to make a come back, preserving a 15-8 win.
After the game, head coach Dana Cordova said, "For the second time, we've fallen behind by two sets, but we never gave up. We fought hard to win set three, and used that to propel us forward. I couldn't be more proud of the way this team has battled the last two games, they never gave up, they fought to keep the match alive, and they gained confidence as the match went on."
Offensively for Tiffin, Amanda Curry had one of her best performances of the year, totaling 16 kills and 7 digs. Kasey Adelsperger added 14 kills, 2 blocks, and had a hitting percentage of .357. Victoria Turnbough did a little bit of everything, slamming 12 kills, hitting at a .250 clip, and stuffed the Panthers at the net four times. Olivia Cobb chipped in with 10 kills and 6 digs, Emily Weithman was an assist machine, churning out 55 of them, and Taylor Lattimore made the plays defensively, digging out 32 balls, and added two service aces.
The win moves Tiffin to 7-4 overall and 4-1 in the GLIAC. The Dragons will be on the road for their next two games, traveling to play the Ferris State Bulldogs on Friday, and then taking on the Grand Valley State Lakers on Saturday.
