BEXLEY, Ohio – Two more matches, and two more wins occurred for the No. 15-ranked Otterbein Volleyball team Saturday afternoon across town as the Pam Briggs Fall Classic wrapped up.
The Cardinals, jumping to a perfect 9-0 this season, emerged in a nationally-ranked showdown with Birmingham-Southern to kickstart the afternoon before toppling Defiance in the finale.

Vs. No. 20 Birmingham-Southern (W 3-1):

The anticipated match with the Tigers, fresh off a victory over Top-10 Emory, went in the Cardinals favor after splitting the first two sets. In the end, Otterbein prevailed by tight final counts of 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17.

BSC led 15 -8 in the first set before Otterbein flipped the script, tying the set at 18-18 and then using the momentum for an early lead.  The second frame also saw back-and-forth rallies. Otterbein led 14-12, BSC then used a 7-0 run to jump ahead and eventually knot the match.

The third set, decided by yet another three-point margin, saw Otterbein lead from start to finish despite the narrow cushion. The Cards led 7-2 after a service ace and then stood on top 20-14 entering the homestretch…

The Panthers rallied to forces deadlocks at 21-21 and 22-22 before the Cards regrouped to win three-straight points. Otterbein kept things rolling into the fourth set, turning an 11-11 tie into a lead of 20-15 and then the final margin.

All kinds of Cardinals found a groove offensively.Madison McCoy (9-0-14) had a clean sheet while Kennedy Hoffman (14-3-29), Amber Greeley (11-2-26) and Maddie Mergen (6-2-11) all hit over .340. Hartman tied Hoffman for a match-high in kills.

Carlie Craycraft and Olivia Vitaz combined for 49 dimes while Bridget Oder had 10 digs. The Cards hit .346 as a group compared to a .210 output on the Birmingham-Southern side.


Vs. Defiance (W 3-0):

The Cardinals then tallied a sweep over the Jackets in the form of 25-18, 25-23, 25-20. Otterbein took the lead for good after 7-7 of the initial set.

The second frame saw ties at 20-20 and 21-21 before the Cards escaped. The third frame was locked at 13-13 before a 4-0 run allowed Otterbein to begin pulling away.

Multiple Cardinals worked themselves into the lineup for contributions. Six different players had four-plus kills, led by nine from Kayla Lechnir and another seven Emily Skelley.

Vitaz and Claire Shank teamed for 36 helpers up front while Amanda Troyer posted 18 digs in the shirt.

Greeley was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the event while Hoffman also landed All-Tournament Team honors.

UP NEXT:

Judgement Week looms as the Cardinals will have a quartet of difficult opponents on the schedule. Wittenberg comes to town early in the week before three matches against Calvin, Elmhurst and Hope.