Box Score
TIFFIN, Ohio – Otterbein University women's volleyball registered a thrilling come-from-behind win to open league play Tuesday evening, storming back from a 2-0 deficit to claim victory at Heidelberg University.

The Cardinals, now 5-7 overall and 1-0 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play, narrowly dropped the opening two frames, 22-25 and 23-25, before flying back to win three-straight sets by counts of 25-22, 26-24, 15-10.

The win marked a bit of déjà vu for Otterbein, which also won the final three sets to escape with a memorable triumph the last time it played at Heidelberg, in 2012.

"This is huge for us in terms of starting off conference play with a win," senior Kim Barker said. "Heidelberg is a very respectable team that was evenly matched with us from start to finish. I thought coming back from being down 2-0 was a huge step for our group."

The Cards wasted no time digging themselves out of their hole in game three, storming out to an 11-4 advantage and leading the frame from start to finish.

Otterbein fell behind early in set four, trailing 9-5 before responding to draw even at 12-12, and then again at 13-13, 14-15, 15-15 and 16-16. The group appeared to be in trouble when Heidelberg ripped off four points in a row to lead 20-16, but the resilient bunch fought back to win 10 of the final 14 points in the set.

The Cards started slow in the deciding frame, falling behind 6-2 before clawing back to see ties at 7-7 and 8-8. Otterbein put its foot on the gas pedal from there, winning the ensuing three points and not looking back en route to its first OAC win.

"It really took everyone's effort to win tonight," Barker added. "We've had some frustrating moments to begin the season, but I think this shows that we're not ready to be overlooked. We still have things to work on but will continue to get better and move forward."

Seven different Cardinals registered seven or more kills for a well-balanced attacked, led by 12 from both senior Kendel Kellogg and junior Kasey White. The 12 putdowns for White marks a new career-high.

Barker and newbies Marie Thornton and Morgan Lowenkamp all hit over .300 in the contest, which also saw sophomore setter Lauren Blumberg hand out 36 assists, easily the most of her young career.

Three different players had double-digit digs; 20 from senior libero Evelyn Carus, 18 from freshman Megan Volosin and 13 from junior Gracie Staten.

Otterbein hit .205 as a group and limited the Student Princes to a .132 mark, helping offset 19 service errors compared to just seven for the host squad.

The Cardinals return to action Thursday evening, hosting Denison University in the Rike Center for a 7 p.m. non-conference outing.