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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Behind a standout night from junior middle hitter Tate Eppard, the Otterbein volleyball team overcame some early adversity to ultimately deliver an energetic four-set victory over Heidelberg Friday night in the Rike Center.

The Cardinals, back in the Rike for the first time in two weeks after hosting the Democratic Debate, dropped the opening set before storming back to win by final line scores of 22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19. As a result, Otterbein moves itself to a solid 18-4 on the season and 4-1 within a jam-packed competition near the top of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) standings.

Heidelberg, snapping a nine-match winning streak, falls to 20-4 on the year and also 4-1 against the league. The Student Princes are in the middle of a challenging stretch that sees Baldwin Wallace, Otterbein, Ohio Northern and Mount Union consecutively.

Eppard led the Cardinal effort with a whopping 27 kills, marking the fourth most ever for a single match in program history. She caught fire in the middle to lead all players offensively, posting a final line of 27-3-42 for a .571 hitting percentage.

Otterbein bounced back from that early hole immediately in the second set, taking a 7-1 lead and never trailing throughout. The third set would be the night's key frame, with the match tied 1-1 and the set finding itself tied at 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 down the backstretch.

The Cards kicked into gear with a few timely points, winning three in a row thanks to a pair of Ashlyn Leon service aces followed by a hard kill from Emily Shuk.

Otterbein parlayed that momentum into the fourth set as well, never trailing from start to finish despite Heidelberg hanging close. The Cards only led 16-13 midway through but then won five of the next seven points and closing the night strong.

Both sides hit well offensively as Otterbein went .277 as a team and Heidelberg was right there at a .259 clip. Shuk matched her recent career-high with 18 kills for a second straight contest, while Dasha Bruyako added 10 herself.

Those smacks were littered around freshman setter Carlie Craycraft and her 60 assists, a new season-best, while the newbie also had a double-double with 10 digs. Leon had 18 digs and Julia Vermilion tallied 15.

Nearly 75 students packed the east side of the gymnasium on Couch Night, allowing fans to bring their own piece of furniture to set up and receive free pizza as a result.

Four players reached double-digit kills for Heidelberg, which performed admirably at the net defensively with 16 block assists. Amy Feczer had six herself.

Otterbein will be right back in action this weekend, heading over to Bluffton for a pair of matches against Hanover and the host Beavers in the late afternoon.