Box Score Post-Match News Conference
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Otterbein University volleyball team, ranked No. 10 nationally, suffered a three-set loss to No. 6 Hope College (Mich.) in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament Thursday afternoon at Calvin College.
The loss marks Otterbein’s third defeat this season to the Flying Dutch (29-4), who won by scores of 25-22, 25-21, and 25-22.
Otterbein (26-8) won three of the first four points and later held an 8-6 advantage, but the set remained close and saw ties at 9, 10, 11, and 12. The Cards strung together two-straight points and forced a Hope timeout, but the Flying Dutch battled back and assumed a 16-15 advantage.
Hope found some breathing room at 20-17 before hanging on to win the opening set, 25-22.
The Flying Dutch prompted an Otterbein timeout by taking an early 7-3 lead in the second set, but Otterbein regrouped to trail at only 8-7 after a Hope attacking error.
Hope opened a 16-11 lead but the Cards stayed within striking distance, trailing just 20-18 after a kill up the middle from senior Kristen Bennett, followed by a Hope miscue.
Otterbein later cut the deficit to 22-21, but Hope responded with the next three points to hang on again.
Both sides traded points throughout a close third frame, seeing ties at 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 14 before the Flying Dutch grabbed a 16-14 lead.
Otterbein coach Monica McDonald called a quick timeout, but Hope kept the momentum and widened its margin to 20-16. The Cardinals, trailing 24-19, showed some grit by fighting off three consecutive match points before suffering the defeat.
"I've watched a lot of film on Hope and we've played against them in some other tournaments, and they played some good volleyball tonight in order to beat us," McDonald said. "I'm disappointed with the outcome but pleased with the effort we gave. Those were two pretty evenly matched teams out there."
The Cardinals hit .142 in the match compared to a .206 mark for Hope. Bennett led the Otterbein attack with a team-high 11 kills and a .409 percentage in her final collegiate outing, while Annie Juenger contributed eight kills herself.
"I didn't want this to be my last match, so I told myself before hand to go out and play really aggressive," Bennett said. "I just tried to swing high because I knew there would be a big block out there. Any time I did get blocked, our defense was back there covering."
Sophomore Tabatha Piper compiled 25 assists, eight digs, and six kills (20 attempts) from her setter spot, while libero Emily Caldwell posted 19 digs.
"I wanted to try and be an offensive threat so things would open up for my hitters," Piper explained. "I thought I was able to spread the ball pretty evenly and move everyone around, but Hope played great defense. Our margin for error was a little smaller than theirs. They seemed to find ways to win points and we weren't able to match that at certain times."
Hope standout Jenna Grasmeyer recorded a match-high 12 kills, but also committed six errors to hit just .188. Mari Schoolmaster registered 10 kills while Nicole George and Anna Lynch had eight and seven, respectively.
Greer Bratschie distributed 37 assists while libero Jessia Maier came up with 20 digs on the back line.
Otterbein won the 2012 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) tournament championship this season, recording the program’s first league title in the process. Bennett and fellow senior Michelle Gernert end their careers as three-time volleyball national qualifiers.
"Kristen and Michelle have helped take us to the next level," McDonald said. " Those two have worked harder over four seasons than probably anyone we've had in the program. Their work ethic has been unparalleled and it's no surprise that we won our first OAC championship and made a statement in the NCAA Tournament, albeit a loss, under their leadership."
