PHOTO GALLERY

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – It was a challenging first-round matchup in arguably the toughest NCAA Regional over quite some time, but No. 17-ranked Otterbein and No. 12-ranked Wisconsin-Oshkosh both came to play Thursday evening under the bright lights of Van Noord Arena.

The Cardinals fell behind early against the Titans, making their first appearance in the Big Dance since 2016, before striking a wild comeback that would lead into a winner-take-all fifth set. Despite the fortitude, Oshkosh would make a few more plays down the stretch to escape on counts of 25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 25-27, 15-11.

Otterbein, one of six teams in the Top 20 of the AVCA national poll that arrived for a loaded bracket, ends its memorable season at 23-6 overall. UW-Oshkosh advances to play host Calvin (3) in a regional semifinal Friday night.

• FIRST SET: The opener was tied 11-11 before Oshkosh won a few plays in a row, ultimately forcing Otterbein timeouts with a pair of four-point leads at 17-13 and 22-18. The Cards traded points down the stretch but couldn't quite make up the ground.
   
• SECOND SET: Otterbein (switching to a 6-2 rotation) took an early lead with a 6-0 run before the Titans answered back on a 7-0 push themselves. Oskosh then created more separation, all as part of as 13-3 run, midway through the frame and never looked back.
   
• THIRD SET: Early ties at 6, 7, 8 were broken after Otterbein (back to a 5-1 lineup around Craycraft) won four points in a row, and the Cards stayed in a groove to force a Titan timeout at 16-11 after a nice dump from setter Carlie Craycraft… Oshkosh clawed back to force deadlocks at 18 and 19, however a mammoth kill from Kennedy Hoffman and consecutive blocks from Amber Greeley regained a nice edge. Despite a controversial call going against Otterbein, the team regrouped to escape (25-23) on a cross-court poke from Greeley.
   
• FOURTH SET: Otterbein used that momentum for a quick 5-1 lead and, despite knots at 5, 9, 11, 12 and 16, never trailed until the Titans used a mini rally to take a 17-16 edge. Multiple ties ensued down the stretch before the Cards admirably fought off two match points after another tight/controversial touch call. Nevertheless, an absolute rocket from Hoffman and Oshkosh attacking error pushed things to a decisive frame…
   
• FIFTH SET: Three-straight points gave the Titans an 8-5 lead at the change of benches, and Otterbein then fell behind 13-6 after a little more adversity. Not quitting, the Cards won five-consecutive points behind the serve of Madison McCoy until Oshkosh halted the run. Despite fighting off another match point, a timely kill by the Titans would end a marathon slugfest that finished in front of a deep crowd awaiting Calvin to take the floor.

KEY NUMBERS:

• Otterbein (61-29-217) and Oshkosh (62-28-218) had nearly identical hitting numbers across the five combined sets. But the Titans won the service game with six aces and five errors, compared to just one ace and 11 miscues by the Cards.
   
• Greeley, the reigning AVCA National Player of the Week, matched a career-high with 21 kills and finishes her career with 926 overall. She posted 634 over her final two seasons.
   
• Craycraft handed out 50 assists in her final college match and departs with 4,255 for her decorated run. That ranks eighth all-time in Ohio Athletic Conference history and is the most for any OAC player in 13 years.
   
• Craycraft and Greeley helped the program go a combined 92-22 since arrival, and would have competed in the NCAA's all four years if not for it being canceled in 2020 during the pandemic.
   
• Morgan Hartman (14) and Hoffman (11) also tallied double-digit kills, with Hartman swinging a match-high 57 times around the entire floor.
   
• Libero Amanda Troyer achieved a new career-high 36 digs, as did freshman Grace Ganz with another 22 in the back. Hartman and Craycraft notched double-doubles as well via the category.
   
• Joslyn Wolff had 18 kills to lead a scrappy Oshkosh team, which benefited nicely from 45 digs off the arms of libero Abby Fregian (WIAC Defensive Player of the Year).