Box Score BOX SCORE
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Wednesday evening presented a challenging road loss to begin the season for the No. 22-ranked Otterbein volleyball squad, which came up short in a four-set match at host Wittenberg.
The Cardinals and Tigers, both highly-regarded programs within the region, renewed the regular-season series after last year forced a conference-only schedule. In the end, Wittenberg would eek out a narrow fourth set to prevail by final line scores of 25-18, 25-17, 21-25, 25-23.
All four sets were competitive, but the Tigers pulled away to capture the initial two behind a nice home crowd. Wittenberg broke open a 13-12 score in the first frame with a 7-1 scoring run to settle into an early lead…
Then, in the second, Otterbein trailed just 8-7 before the hosts rattled off eight points in a row and never looked back.
Otterbein stayed focused and got one back in the third frame, seeing ties at 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 until moving on top for good. The Cards extended a 22-20 lead down the stretch with two kills from
Amber Greeley, slicing the match deficit in half.
A dynamite fourth set featured a bit of everything, with both sides exchanging points early and Wittenberg later holding a 15-10 edge. Otterbein didn't go anywhere, using a 7-3 run to close within a point and keep things interesting…
The showdown was later deadlocked at 23-23 before Wittenberg benefited from an Otterbein service error, followed by a kill for the home side to end the night.
Otterbein got beter offensively as the night progressed, hitting .220 and .394 over the final two sets after going -.083 and .047 to begin the night. The Tigers were a bit more consistent throughout, culminating at a .241 clip to hang on.
Greeley led the way with 14 kills while
Morgan Hartman tallied a double-double of 14 digs and 13 ropes. Setter
Carlie Craycraft finished with 33 assists up front.
Otterbein committed 19 service errors compared to just eight for the home side, which received a 12-1-18 (.556) hitting line from Sarah Hettich.
The Cardinals will look to regroup quickly as they head north for the weekend, taking part on the Calvin College Labor Day Weekend Tournament in Grand Rapids, Mich.
