CINCINNATI, Ohio – It was a tough night with a pair of somewhat unexpected results for the No. 11-ranked Otterbein volleyball team on Friday, falling victim to a pair of 3-0 sweeps at the hands of Transylvania and host Mount St. Joseph in the MSJ Invitational.

The Cardinals, entering with a 12-2 record, fell behind early in both matchups and just couldn't make up any ground inside the Harrington Center.
 
TRANSYLVANIA RECAP (L 3-0):

The Cardinals were bottled up by the Pioneers 25-11, 25-19, 25-13, with Transy improving to a 10-5 record after the triumph.

A 9-1 run in the first set by Transylvania blew things open. The second frame was locked 11-11 before Transy won six-straight points to pull away.

Otterbein led 9-6 in the third before the Pioneers regained total control, embarking on a 10-0 run to never look back. Transy gets even after the Cards won both matchups in this series last fall.

Transylvania hit .229 for the contest while Otterbein (.010) just couldn't get much to drop. Cate Scheper had 11 kills for Transy and teammate Kayden Holcomb contributed an 8-1-17 hitting line.

MOUNT ST. JOSEPH RECAP (L 3-0):

The nightcap against the host Lions didn't go much better as MSJ also delivered a sweep, this time by counts of 25-16, 25-22, 25-19.

A 9-3 run early in the opening set allowed MSJ to vault into an early led, trading points down the stretch for a comfortable victory.

The second frame would be the tightest, seeing ties in the latter portion at 11, 13, 20 and 21. Unfortunately, the Lions broke that deadlock at 21 with three-straight tallies and earned a 2-0 match advantage.

Otterbein also had ties at 15, 16 and 18 in the third before Mount St. Joseph took control again. The Lions won four-straight points thanks to a service ace, two kills and Cardinal attacking error to find the necessary breathing room.

Amber Greeley hit 11-2-23 (.391) to lead the way offensively but no other Otterbein hitter was over .250 for the contest. Kennedy Hoffman and Madison McCoy did both notch eight kills.

Setter Carlie Craycraft had a double-double with 18 assists and 11 digs, while Morgan Hartman also came up with 11 digs around the court.

Three Lions amassed double-digit kills while setters Chloe Burton and Sam Buschur combined for 34 dimes. MSJ hit .239 as a group compared to the .170 output on Otterbein's side of the net.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Cardinals will need to regroup quickly heading into next week, hosting Muskingum back in the Rike Center on Wednesday night to begin Ohio Athletic Conference play. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.