Box Score
Photo Gallery

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The 17th-ranked Otterbein University volleyball team finished off its regular season in dramatic fashion Saturday, storming back to win a five-set thriller over rival Capital University in the Rike Center.

The Cardinals, victorious by scores of 25-15, 23-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-10, improve to 25-6 on the season and finish at 7-2 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play.

Otterbein finishes tied for third with Ohio Northern in the final league standings, but will be the No. 4 seed in the upcoming OAC Tournament due to its loss at ONU earlier this season. The Cards host fifth-seeded John Carroll in a quarterfinal matchup Tuesday evening at 7 p.m.

Otterbein narrowly fell in sets two and three after a convincing first-set win, but gathered itself to force a fifth and final set.

Capital (15-14, 3-6 OAC) jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the last set to put Otterbein's back against the wall. The Cardinals refused to quit, winning six-straight points before pulling away for the win.

"Our team doesn't give up," junior Tabatha Piper said. "We always seem to find a way to claw back and push through the adversity. I think our veteran experience eventually out-weighed Capital today and I thought Kendel Kellogg was a huge difference-maker off the bench. They have some young players and gave us everything they had, but we just found a way in the end."

Piper turned in an impressive triple-double from her setter position, posting 50 assists, 13 digs and 11 kills, with no errors, on 18 attempts to hit .611 for the match. She became the school's all-time leader in assists during the second set, surpassing Brook Cann's record of 3,229 set back in 2002.

"It's pretty cool that I will be able to leave my name here at Otterbein, hopefully for a long time," Piper said. "My friends and family are a great support system to keep me level, and I couldn't accomplish anything individually without my teammates. They put a lot of trust in me as their setter. This record isn't possible without all of the talented hitters that I've been fortunate enough to play with."

Kellogg proved clutch on the outside down the stretch, blasting 13 kills, with just three errors, on 25 attempts to hit .400 during the match. Annie Juenger and Kim Barker also registered 13 kills apiece for Otterbein, which hit .263 as a team compared to Capital's .174.

The Crusaders were also led by an all-around effort from their setter, Katie Weilbacher, who nearly missed a triple-double with 33 assists, 11 digs, and nine kills. Hannah Ewart and Courtney McCracken combined for 23 kills offensively.

Otterbein libero Emily Caldwell led all players with 25 digs on the defensive side, marking her fourth-highest total of the season. The Cardinals overcame a staggering 17 service errors during the match.

"I'm concerned that we're making some mistakes that shouldn't be made this late in the season, but we're still in a good place," Piper explained. "We all need to realize what this means and how important it is to play for one another. We didn't fall apart today when times got tough, but we'll definitely continue to work on some areas heading into the postseason."

Prior to the match, Juenger, Caldwell, Liz Palmer, Kelsey Berrien and student assistant Abby Costello were recognized as part of Senior Day. The class has compiled a 103-27 record to date.

Click here for more OAC Tournament information.