Box Score 1 | Box Score 2


PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Cardinal volleyball team finished off its stay at the Carnegie Mellon DoubleTree Invitation Saturday afternoon, splitting a pair of matches and moving to a healthy 14-1 on the season.

Otterbein began with a morning showdown against the host Tartans, who entered holding a 14-0 record and ranked No. 13 in the latest national poll. CMU would emerge in a five-set thriller by scores of 25-17, 16-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-12.

The Tartans took an early lead in the opening frame, marking the first time this season that Otterbein dropped the first set.

The Cardinals quickly responded by taking the second and third games, breaking a 7-7 tie in the second with a nice 13-5 spurt that opened a double-digit lead. Otterbein carried that stride into the midway point, seizing a 10-5 advantage early on and never trailing. Carnegie Mellon clawed to within 22-18 late in the third, but the Cards countered to win three of four points and take a 2-1 match lead.

CMU evened the match in the ensuing fourth set, taking a 6-6 tie and turning it into a 14-8 lead before holding Otterbein off down the backstretch.

The fifth set was one to remember, with the Cards opening an 8-3 lead by the midway point before the hosts admirably fought back. Otterbein later clung to a 12-10 advantage, but the Tartans delivered five-straight points in the closing moments to emerge victorious.

Senior Morgan Lowenkamp was lights out once again in the middle for Otterbein, ripping off a new career-high 24 kills (and just three errors) over 40 attempts to result in a .525 percentage. Junior Hadley Sterett, who missed Friday's action with an injury, returned to tally 15 kills while senior Brett Bey contributed another 12.

Setter Andrea Miller, among the national leaders in assists, finished the five-set thriller with another 55 to fall three shy of her career best. She also had 17 digs for her seventh double-double this fall.

Libero Ashlyn Leon had a match-high 25 digs in the shirt and junior Olivia Harris complimented the defense with 13. Otterbein hit .213 for the match compared to .167 for Carnegie Mellon.

Lauren Mueller and Sarah Jurgens combined to blast 32 kills for Carnegie Mellon, which committed just five service errors while the Cards made 11 mistakes in the serve game.

Otterbein bounced back nicely at 3 p.m. to defeat College of Wooster, overcoming an early deficit to prevail 17-25, 25-18, 25-9, 25-17.

Wooster trailed just 18-15 in the latter stages of the second set, but Otterbein pulled away to even the match and then dominated the third to never look back. The fourth set was very competitive early, being tied at 10-10 before a 12-4 run from the Cardinals put things away.

Bey led the way with a career-high 15 kills, posting a clean sheet with no errors on 25 attempts to hit an even .600 for the contest. Lowenkamp added 11 of her own, and also was part of five blocks, while Alana King-Mendenhall and freshman Alyssa Elsea each recorded nine.

Otterbein hit a solid .317 as a unit while the defense, led by 17 digs from Leon and 15 from Harris, held the Fighting Scots to a .104 output. Miller dispersed 45 assists at the reins.

The Cardinals will be back in action Tuesday night at Muskingum, launching Ohio Athletic Conference play with a 7 p.m. match in New Concord.