SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Needing a win to maintain pace in the middle of the pack of the American Mideast Conference (AMC), the Notre Dame Falcons fell short at home on Saturday.  NDC was defeated by Ohio Dominican, 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 28-26), in a match between two AMC foes who came into the weekend looking to establish themselves as postseason contenders. 

The loss is NDC's second straight, both of which have been AMC matches and both of which have been in straight sets.  With the loss to the Panthers, the Falcons fall to 4-5 in the league. They are 3-5 over their last eight contests.

“We didn't finish at times,” said head coach Mark Ridley, “and at other times we seemed to lose focus. Being an important conference match at home, this was one we really needed to win, so this was disappointing. ”

The shutout loss at home is Notre Dame's first since the 2006 season.  It comes two years to the day after a 3-0 home loss to Geneva-Pa. (Oct. 18, 2006).

Ohio Dominican (15-10, 6-3) took the first set, 25-22, after letting the Falcons back in once ODU had opened a 20-13 lead.  After some sloppy play, NDC turned up their game to cut the ODU advantage to 21-20.  The Panthers, however, were able to answer the Notre Dame run and close out the first set with a win. 

The Panthers backed that up with a 25-21 win in the second.  ODU out-hit the Falcons, .438 to .400 in the second frame.

In the third, Notre Dame (16-9, 4-5 AMC) went through their best stretch of the day in the early going. Two-thirds of the way through the set, NDC led, 18-12. But then, Ohio Dominican rallied to tie the set at 19-19.  Both sides traded points, with the Falcons unable to close out a 24-24 lead at one point.

Then, after the teams had been knotted at 26-26, ODU struck for two straight points to close out the match.  The Falcons lost the third set despite having an attack percentage of .459.

For the match, NDC out-hit ODU, .346 to .333.  Senior Dana Sarver (Durand, Ill.) led the NDC attack with a season-high 14.5 points (12K, 1 SA, 1.5B).  Sarver's 12 kills were a match-high.  Freshman Kari Kincannon (LaGrange, Ohio) added 12.5 points (11K, 1.5B) for the Falcons.  NDC had a season-low 33 digs in the match.

Middle hitter Jessica Buzenski (Columbus, Ohio) paced the Panther attack; she had a team-high 13.5 points and 11 kills.  Three other ODU front-liners collected 10 kills each.

Saturday's result could turn out to be key in determining postseason slots at the end of the AMC regular season.  ODU came into Saturday's match in seventh place in the AMC; NDC was tied for eighth.  Among the league's 15 teams, the top seven will advance to the postseason.  The AMC regular season champ will advance to the NAIA National Tournament, while teams placing second through seventh will advance to an AMC Tournament bracket.  That tournament will be a platform for a second AMC squad to earn a national tourney berth.

Notre Dame's next match, another AMC tilt, is scheduled for Tuesday at Malone.  First serve in Canton is slated for 7 p.m.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

TROUBLE AT HOME:  With their home court loss Saturday, Notre Dame is now just 1-3 at home this season.  That's a wrong turn for a program that went 9-1 in their home facility a year ago (2007). ... After the ODU tilt, Notre Dame has three matches remaining at home.  The Falcons will host an AMC tri-match (Roberts Wesleyan-N.Y., Cedarville) on Nov. 1 and then host Lake Erie on Nov. 4.

DANA DOES IT:  Dana Sarver's 12 kills Saturday represent the most she's had in a match since Oct. 27 of last season. … For the season, the 5-foot-7 co-captain has 106.5 points (71K, 1 SA, 34.5B) and is hitting .211.

BARBIS IS BACK: Sophomore Katie Barbis (Mentor, Ohio) returned to action Saturday after missing five matches due to injury.  Barbis struggled with 10 total errors.  She hit .107 for the match. … For the season, the Mentor native has 2.82 kills and 3.01 digs per set.