Box Score Photo GalleryWESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University women's volleyball team fell to the Saints of Thomas More College in the Rike Center on Saturday in their last regular-season match.
The Cardinals, losing by scores of 21-25, 25-21, 15-25 and 16-25, finish their regular season with a record of 13-17.
Prior to the match, the Cardinals honored their four seniors; libero
Gracie Staten, outside hitter
Maddy Shelley, defensive specialist
Kelsie Gessner and outside hitter
Kasey White.
As the match began, Otterbein and the Saints traded the first points. The Cardinals would break for a streak of four points, but the Saints immediately followed this with a four-point stretch.
The Cardinals kept with Thomas More throughout the set and took a 19-17 lead. However, the Saints ended up taking eight of the next 10 points to win the first set.
The second set began much like the first set, with Thomas More taking a 4-3 lead. Otterbein then ran off with seven of the next eight points, with five of them coming from kills by sophomore middle
Morgan Lowenkamp.
The Saints brought the set to within two points and trailed the Cardinals at one point, 13-11. Otterbein answered with another run, this time six of the next seven points, to give the Cardinals a 19-12 lead.
After three straight points by Thomas More, Otterbein rattled off five of the next six to bring them to match point. The Saints kept it close by taking five straight points, but a kill by White sealed the deal for the Cardinals in the set.
In the third set, Thomas More took five of the first seven points and never looked back, taking the set and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Cardinals didn't have a stretch of more than two consecutive points in the set.
The fourth set saw the Saints take an early 12-4 lead. Every time the Cardinals rallied for a few points in a row, Thomas More would respond with their own stretch of points. The Saints would take the set and the match.
Lowenkamp led the Cardinals in kills with 13 and tied for the lead in blocks along with sophomore middle hitter
Marie Thornton with five. Shelley tallied nine kills in the match, followed by White with five.
Staten finished the match with 16 digs, while freshman setter
Andrea Miller ended with 27 assists.
Jessica Knaley had a match-high 15 kills and 10 blocks for Thomas More.
The Cardinals begin the OAC Tournament next week. After their 3-1 victory on Friday night against the University of Mount Union, Otterbein solidified the sixth seed in the tournament. The group travels to third-seeded Baldwin Wallace University in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m.
