WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The 12th-ranked Otterbein University volleyball team will square off against No. 4 Hope College (Mich.) on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The match will be played at Calvin College’s Van Noord Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, site of the eight-team regional for a second-consecutive season. Otterbein and Hope also squared off in the NCAA first round a year ago, with Hope advancing in three sets.

Thursday’s matchup will be the third meeting between the two schools this season, as Hope earned a pair of straight-set victories over the Cardinals earlier this fall.

Visit the NCAA Regional site to view additional seeding, matchups, and the entire tournament backet.

“I thought our performance in the second match with Hope was significantly better than the first," sixth-year head coach Monica McDonald said. “We are a much different team now than at the beginning of the season, so I expect a great match between two very talented teams.”

McDonald has Otterbein (26-7) back in the big dance for a third-straight season, and is now looking to advance in the bracket after suffering first-round eliminations in 2010 and 2011. The program recently captured its first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) title, topping the University of Mount Union Saturday afternoon in the league’s tournament championship match.

Sophomore Tabatha Piper serves as Otterbein's floor leader from her setter position, having dished out over 1,000 assists for the second year in a row, including nearly eight per set against regionally-ranked teams. All-Conference hitters Kristen Bennett, Liz Palmer, and Annie Juenger give Piper plenty of options to use in the offensive attack, while sophomore Kim Barker has enjoyed a breakout season up front.

Bennett finished with a conference-best .332 hitting percentage, while Palmer was not far behind with a .324 mark. Juenger was second among OAC players in service aces this season and Barker came in fourth for most blocks per set. Senior Michelle Gernert rounds out the rotation up front for the Cardinals, who finished atop the conference and 31st-nationally with a .236 team percentage.

Libero Emily Caldwell paces the team defensively alongside junior Evelyn Carus and steady freshman Lauren Beitel. Otterbein limited its opponents to hitting just .157 this fall.

“The biggest difference between this team and previous ones is that the current group has played in a ton of big matches,” McDonald said. “Those competitions against nationally or regionally-ranked teams in hostile environments are so valuable.”

Led by eighth-year head coach Becky Schmidt, Hope (28-4) made the Final Four in 2009 before falling in the second round each of the past two seasons.

Schmidt’s nucleus features a pair of 2011 All-Americans in outside hitter Jenna Grasmeyer and setter Greer Bratschie. Grasmeyer leads the Flying Dutch with 472 kills to accompany a .305 hitting percentage, while Bratschie is posting 10.7 assists per set.

Hope boasts four other hitters that make an impact night in and night out, including junior middle hitter Mari Schoolmaster, who holds 237 kills and a team-best .332 hitting mark.

Senior libero Jessica Maier has been a mainstay in the back for Hope, which has hit .273 this season compared to just .106 for its opposition.

“Grasmeyer is talented and it's always a challenge to defend her, but Hope also attacks well from the right pin and gives their setter plenty to work with,” McDonald said. “They are very balanced offensively.”

Additional first round matchups on November 8 will feature defending champion Wittenberg University (25-4) against Ohio Northern University (23-6), Mount Union (26-6) vs. Medaille College (16-12), and Heidelberg University (19-14) against host Calvin (28-2).

Fans will be able to follow all matches on live stats and live video.