TIFFIN, Ohio – The Tiffin University volleyball team claimed its first set victory of the 2026 season on Friday night, but visiting Ohio Dominican University rallied to take the final set as the Dragons fell 3-1 inside the Gillmor Student Center. The Panthers won by scores of 25-17, 26-24, 21-25, and 25-15.
Tiffin battled throughout the evening and broke through in the third set for its first set win of the year. The Dragons erased an early deficit and used a 14-5 run to seize control. Consecutive kills from
Parker Vackert,
Katelyn Owens, and
Amber Czerniak helped build an 18-13 advantage before Tiffin closed out the set with a pair of blocks and a service ace from
Morgan Morley to secure the 25-21 victory.
The Dragons were led offensively by
Parker Vackert who totaled 14 kills and hit .324, while through the middle
Katelyn Owens posted 13 kills and hit a team-high .414.
Amber Czerniak chipped in six kills and a pair of service aces.
Maggie Pavlansky directed the offense with 26 assists, and
Kat Akolzin added 14 more in the loss.
Defensively,
Morgan Morley paced the Dragons with 24 digs, while
Lexi Barber contributed 16 digs.
Brianna Langenderfer totaled three block assists and five kills, and Tiffin finished the night with 10 team blocks.
Ohio Dominican was paced by Annie Fincham, who recorded a match-high 17 kills and hit .382. Logan Rubel added 13 kills and 16 digs, while Lizzy Larkins finished with a team-best 25 assists for the Panthers.
After dropping the opening set, the Dragons nearly evened the match in the second. Tiffin led by as many as nine points and held a 24-23 advantage late, but Ohio Dominican scored the final three points to escape with a 26-24 win. The Panthers then answered Tiffin's third-set victory by hitting .273 in the fourth set to secure the match.
Tiffin moves to 0-12 overall and 0-3 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference play, while Ohio Dominican improves to 12-2 overall and 5-0 in conference action. The 'Gons will return to action on Saturday, September 26 with a road matchup at the University of Findlay slated for 6 p.m.
