POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – It was arguably the most exciting match in the history of Otterbein Volleyball… and is likely to also settle as one of the most thrilling showdowns once the dust settles in this 2021 NCAA Division III Championships.

After more twists, turns and momentum swings that you could possibly ask for, the No. 3 seeded Cardinals prevailed by the slimmest of margins over No. 2 seed Wisconsin-Whitewater in a raucous second round (and nationally-ranked matchup) at Van Noord Arena. Use any superlative you feel like… but, no matter how you dice it, Otterbein eventually stood on top 25-23, 18-25, 19-25, 25-19, 21-19.

The No. 24-ranked Cardinals will now play in the program's first NCAA Regional Final ever (against the Calvin/Wittenberg winner) Saturday night at 7 p.m. UW-Whitewater, ranked No. 9 in the latest AVCA poll, ends its season at 27-3 overall after losing to someone other than UW-Eau Claire this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Otterbein came out of the gate with a newly-implemented 6-2 lineup, incorporating sophomores Kailey Mishler (setter) and Anna Cecil (right side) into the rotation to get an extra hitter in the front row… due to Whitewater's sizeable front.

The adjustment worked well, as the Cardinals ballooned their 11-9 lead into a 20-12 margin midway through. Whitewater didn't let Otterbein just coast, however, chipping away to within 22-19 and then ultimately fighting off three set points. Cecil ultimately helped preserve the opener with a nice kill to punctuate the score at 25-23.

Madison McCoy's younger brother, James, appeared pleased with the early momentum… as the seven-year old buried popcorn with one hand while routinely checking the action through his binoculars in the other.

Otterbein led 8-4 to begin the second frame until the Warhawks found a rhythm, winning nine of the next 12 points to jump ahead and not trail again. The Cards fought back to knot the score at 14-14… but a 5-0 response from UWW opened things up again.

Whitewater flew out to a 13-6 lead in the third but the pesky Cardinals worked back to just a 14-12 deficit. Both sides had runs from there; UWW opened a 22-15 edge before the Cards won four points in a row. A critical moment occurred when the Warhawks clearly seemed to have sailed an attack out of bounds… but the attempt was ruled to be touched by Otterbein challengers at the net. That flipped the would-be-score of 22-20 into a 23-19 difference instead.

The Cards overcame that blow temporarily, commencing the fourth set with a 7-2 lead before impending deadlocks at 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 before Otterbein struck a 6-2 run together… winning the longest rally of the night (at 12-12) and soon heading into a timeout up 18-14. Whitewater never got closer than two points down the stretch as Otterbein culminated on a 5-1 spurt.

The winner-take-all frame was worth every penny… and then some. Both sides had runs as three timeouts were called by the time it was 9-8, with Otterbein ahead. Ties at 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 carried well into extra time and featured most of the arena standing. Each team saw multiple match-points before the Cards tallied a difference-making sequence; Amber Greeley smoked a kill and then a block from seniors Emma Linehan and Julia Vermilion ended the marathon slugfest.

STATS ON STATS:
Greeley (18), Morgan Hartman (17), McCoy (15) and Linehan (14) all ripped off timely kills throughout. Mishler and starting setter Carlie Craycraft combined for 65 assists.

Three players had double-doubles; Craycraft (37 assists/16 digs), Hartman (17 kills/13 digs) and a memorable performance from Bridget Oder, as the junior libero finished with 45 digs and 10 assists. Her 45 digs are a new single-match record for the program, besting the previous mark of 44 by Lindsey Russell back in 2010.

Vermilion, overcoming a chipped tooth while eating a BLT from Potbelly during the pregame meal, swung a match-high 47 times. Cecil added six important kills off the bench.

Otterbein hit .214 for the contest compared to a .187 clip for Whitewater. The Cards have now beaten the Warhawks in two-straight meetings, also winning in four sets during the NCAA first round in 2019.
 
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