SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Otterbein University volleyball team took two of three matches over the weekend at the Wittenberg Classic, moving to 8-5 on the season as they prepare to enter Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play.

The Cardinals fell to No. 7 Hope College (Mich.) for the second time this season Friday afternoon, suffering a three-set loss by counts of 22-25, 19-25, 18-25.

Junior Annie Junger had a team-high eight kills in the match, while junior Liz Palmer and sophomore Kim Barker posted identical hitting numbers of four kills, and one error, on 11 total attempts (.273).

Otterbein bounced back Saturday morning with a triumph over Alma College (Mich.) in straight-sets, winning 25-21, 25-10, 25-17.

Palmer led the way with 11 kills, and just two errors, on 19 attempts to finish with a .474 hitting percentage.

Senior Kristen Bennett contributed seven kills while Barker and sophomore Tabatha Piper each hit over .500 or better for the match. Barker blasted six kills on ten attempts (.600) and Piper registered six on 12 in addition to her 32 assists.

Junior libero Emily Caldwell finished with 18 digs for the Cards, with freshman Lauren Beitel also getting into the mix with a season-high 15.

The group quickly turned around to record its second victory in 11 days over the College of Mount St. Joseph, going 25-12, 25-15, 25-18.

The Cardinals have the middle of the week off before hosting John Carroll University in its OAC opener at 7 p.m. Friday evening. Follow the match on live stats by clicking here.

After its matchup with JCU, the team heads to participate in the Ohio Wesleyan tri-match Saturday afternoon, playing at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.