Box Score
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Cardinal volleyball team came up short in a key Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) showdown Tuesday night in the Rike Center, falling in four sets to John Carroll University by scores of 21-25, 25-18, 18-25, 15-25.

The loss breaks a four-way tie for third place amongst the OAC standings, dropping Otterbein to 15-10 overall and 3-3 against league opponents. JCU, meanwhile. Advances its record to 14-10 on the year and 4-2 within the conference.

Otterbein nearly erased a six-point deficit in the first set, rallying from an 18-12 hole behind the serve of sophomore Kalyn Schroer to tie the frame at 18, 19, 20 and 21 before the Blue Streaks strung together four points in a row.

The Cards rebounded in the second set, opening a 10-4 lead behind balanced hitting and the strong serve of junior Megan Volosin. JCU cut a 16-8 Otterbein lead down to just one point, but the Cards responded with three-straight of their own and ultimately pulled away.

John Carroll took the lead for good with a third-set triumph, grabbing an early 9-3 lead until the Cards caught momentum yet again with Schroer serving. Otterbein won five-straight points and trailed just 14-11 midway through, but the visitors embarked on a quick 6-1 run and put the game out of reach.

The Cards led 3-0 to begin the fourth before John Carroll took control with a 9-0 run, opening the six-point cushion and widening it to as many as 22-10 en route to victory.

Junior middle hitter Morgan Lowenkamp carried Otterbein with a match-high 17 kills, and five errors, on 43 attempts to hit .279 for the contest. She also led all players with nine blocks, four solo and five assisted. Classmate Brett Bey had nine kills as the only other Cardinal to hit in plus figures.

Setter Andrea Miller had an even 40 assists, her fourth match over the 40-plateau this year, while libero Ashlyn Leon had 25 digs. Senior Brenna McNally and sophomore Olivia Harris each had 16 digs to help the defense.

Madeline McDowell had 11 kills to lead JCU while Julianne McGervey blasted 10. Setter Kit O'Shaughnessy was close to a triple-double with a final line of 31 assists, 24 digs and six kills.

Otterbein will stay at home to finish out the week, hosting Baldwin Wallace Saturday at 1 p.m. in what will be another critical OAC. The top-eight teams qualify for the league tournament and the top four earn a first-round home match.

The Cards will also recognize McNally, the program's lone senior, prior to match time on Saturday for her contributions to the program.