PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Staying with the theme of recent series history, nationally-ranked Otterbein and Ohio Northern found themselves in a pair of absolute dogfights Tuesday evening inside the Rike Center.

The two Ohio Athletic Conference powerhouses, meeting for the first time since the memorable five-set thriller in the 2019 OAC Tournament Championship, went toe-to-toe once again… this time across 10 sets to begin the final week of the league's regular season.

Otterbein, positioned No. 12 in the latest AVCA national poll, dropped a heartbreaking opener but responded to admirably defeat the No. 24-ranked Polar Bears in another raucous rematch. As a result, the Cardinals finish the OAC regular season with a 15-3 record.

Muskingum, meanwhile, now sits 14-2 and in control of its own destiny for an outright regular-season crown. The No. 15-ranked Muskies host Heidelberg come Friday to finish its schedule, while ONU (13-3) will travel to Mount Union.

MATCH 1: (L 25-21, 23-25, 25-18, 21-25, 13-15)
Otterbein held a 2-1 lead in the opening match before the Polar Bears fought back to force a winner-take-all fifth set. The Cards held a 6-4 lead in the race to 15, but deadlocks quickly ensued at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13…

ONU prevailed with two points, using a kill and then a match-ending block to escape with the W. Both sides hit over .250 in the well-played, back-and-forth showdown, as the Polar Bears had four players in double-digit kills.

Amber Greeley (20-4-34) and Emma Linehan (15-3-27) were impressive for Otterbein, both hitting over .440 while Morgan Hartman delivered 19 kills on the outside. She recently racked up her second OAC Offensive Player of the Week award.

Setters Carlie Craycraft (Otterbein) and Kiki Carle (ONU) combined to dish out a whopping 112 assists. Northern libero Hannah Irmer led all players with 29 digs while Bridget Oder and Hillary Sterett pieced together 37 on the Cardinal side.

MATCH 2: (W 18-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22, 15-8)
Otterbein, still trying to regroup from the disappointing opener, fell behind 19-8 in the first set but made Ohio Northern earn it down the stretch. The Cards later trailed 2-1 in the match but didn't go anywhere…

A gritty fourth frame was tied at 11-11 before the Cardinals used a 10-4 run to create some much-needed breathing room. They eventually finished that off to force yet another race to 15.

This decisive set wouldn't be as close, ignited during the break by former All-OAC standouts Tate Eppard and Emily Shuk (now student coaches while recovering from injuries) racing across the court to energize the home crowd with a handful of spirited dances… and, of course, beginning the "wave."

Before you could blink, Otterbein was ahead 9-2 in the fifth set and coasted to victory… punctuated by a rocket swing from Julia Vermilion.

Linehan was rock solid again in the middle, going 18-3-34 for another performance hitting over .440 at the night. Hartman (21) and Greeley (13) also spearheaded the cause while Craycraft had a double-double with 57 assists and 13 digs.

Sterett and Oder, swapping the libero role between matches, joined forces for another 36 digs on the defensive back line. Ohio Northern hit .192 as a collective team, including two sets under a .100 output.

UP NEXT:
By virtue of its doubleheader with Capital being moved up from April 9 to March 9, Otterbein will now have Friday off to rest and scout. The Cardinals are guaranteed to host a quarterfinal match next Tuesday in the OAC Tournament, with seeding still very much to be determined.