BEXLEY, Ohio – The No. 18-ranked Otterbein volleyball team kicked off the Roush Auto Rivalry Showdowns against Capital with a convincing sweep, finishing off a little "brunch ball"  by straight scores of 25-19, 25-20, 25-13 Saturday morning.

The Cardinals retain possession of "The Oar" after topping the Comets for an 11th-straight time (20 of last 21 in the series), and further their nice start to Ohio Athletic Conference play at 2-0. The team is also 14-4 overall.

A balanced effort saw 23 combined kills off the right arms of Morgan Hartman and Kennedy Hoffman, as the unit hit .308 collectively around the 31 dimes of setter Carlie Craycraft.

Amber Greeley (9-1-20) and Aubrey Geis (6-0-9) were incredibly efficient to complement the attack nicely. Libero Bridget Oder had her fifth match this season with at least 20 digs.

Otterbein only led 18-16 heading down the stretch of the opening frame, but closed strong behind kills from multiple players. The Cards never trailed in the middle frame, opening a quick 13-6 lead and keeping the Comets at arm's length.

The third set would be most lopsided, with Otterbein soaring out to a 14-4 edge and keeping its foot on the gas pedal all the way to 21-8. The last few points, kills from Hartman and Anna Cecil, would be a formality.

Otterbein now gears up for a big test middle of next week, welcoming Ohio Northern to the Rike Center with first serve at 7 p.m.