NEW CONCORD, Ohio – All good things usually come to an end… and that's what unfortunately took place Saturday afternoon inside the Anne C. Steele as the No. 20-ranked Otterbein volleyball team saw its lengthy winning streak come to an end.

The Cardinals entered having won 19-straight matches, a program record, beginning all the way back on September 4. But a formidable Muskingum squad met the challenge on its home floor, erasing Otterbein's 2-1 lead in the match and prevailing in five sets.

It marked a rematch from the OAC Tournament Championship match this past spring, where the Cardinals clawed out of a late hole to steal the trophy in five. This time around, it was the Muskies emerging by scores of 23-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-15, 15-6.

The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) standings became a lot more interesting this past week, as the Cardinals now sit in a three-way tie with Ohio Northern and Mount Union at 6-1. Muskingum resides one match at 5-2 with a week to play in the regular season.

HOW IT HAPPENED SATURDAY:

Otterbein trailed 22-18 in the first, but rallied to culminate the set on a 7-1 run and secure an early lead. Muskingum drew even in the second, leading for a majority of the way and keeping Otterbein at arm's length down the stretch. The Cards did win three-consecutive points down 23-17, but it wouldn't be enough.

The middle set was tied 13-13 before Otterbein won a few points and never trailed again. The Cards clung to leads of 19-18, 20-19 and 21-20 entering crunch time but won four-straight to punctuate the set.

The host Muskies threw another punch back in the fourth, swimming out to an 8-2 lead and keeping the momentum in their side of the net throughout. They opened a 20-12 lead later on in cruising to knot the day, 2-2.

Another winner-take-all fifth set would be in store for the two rivals. This time, it would be a tad more lopsided as Muskingum pulled away… winning eight-straight points after leading 7-6.

Carlie Craycraft had 53 assists for the Cardinals as three hitters posted double-digit kills; Morgan Hartman (17), Amber Greeley (14) and Emma Linehan (12). Hartman also came up with 15 digs for a double-double effort.

Brider Oder paced the defense with 27 digs, tying her second-most of the season, while Amanda Troyer (16) and Julia Vermilion (14) were also valuable in keeping the Muskies under .200 hitting for the day.

Brooke Bigrigg delivered a monster line of 23 kills and 20 digs to lead the Muskies, while four other teammates also had double-digit digs in the back-and-forth affair.