Box Score
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein University volleyball dropped an intense and exciting five-set match with visiting Heidelberg University Friday evening, falling 25-20, 15-25, 23-25, 22-25, 13-15 inside the Rike Center.
The Cardinals, who entered the week ranked No. 14 in the national poll, appeared to be heading towards the win until Heidelberg snatched three sets in a row to escape victorious.
Otterbein, which experienced a role reversal after winning three sets in a row last season to defeat the Berg' in Tiffin, fall to 18-6 overall and 3-2 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play with the loss.
The Cardinals won 9 of the final 11 points in the second set to seize the 2-0 lead, but Heidelberg (13-13, 5-0 OAC) held off a late Otterbein rally in the third to extend the match. The set saw ties at 15-15, 18-18, 19-19, and 20-20 before the Student Princes took control.
Otterbein had the upper hand in the fourth with three-point leads of 18-15, 21-18, and 22-19, but Heidelberg refused to quit and rattled off six-straight points to capture the fourth frame.
Heidelberg opened a 10-6 advantage in the fifth and final frame, but a kill from Annie Juenger and block assists from Liz Palmer and Tabatha Piper kept Otterbein close.
A kill from Kendel Kellogg brought Otterbein to within 13-12, and the Cards later used a kill from Kim Barker to fight off the first match point. Heidelberg's Victoria Wiggins would end the match on the next point with a kill from the outside.
Juenger led five Cardinals in double-figures with a match-best 19 kills, while Piper posted an all-around effort of 54 assists (one shy of season high) to glo along with 11 kills and 4 digs. Maddy Shelley hit .345 with a season-high 15 kills in the losing effort.
Heidelberg's Amber Welfle, the OAC's leader in kills, carried her team's offense down the stretch and finished the night with 17 kills, and just two errors, on 30 attempts (.500). The Berg' hit .311 compared to Otterbein's .291 percentage.
Otetrbein blasted 11 service aces throughout, but also committed 11 service errors. The Cardinals will look to rebound Saturday with a pair of matches at the College of Mount St. Joseph tri-match.
