PHOTO GALLERY (coming soon)

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Make it nine victories in a row for the surging Otterbein volleyball team, staying in a groove Saturday afternoon by sweeping a tri-match with Heidelberg and Kenyon inside the Rike Center.

Despite heavy rain falling outside in the morning, Otterbein launched the day with another hot performance in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) action vs. the Student Princes… emerging by score of 25-20, 25-11, 25-16.

The Cardinals move to 5-0 in OAC play as a result and beat Heidelberg for an eighth-straight meeting. After a lunch break, Otterbein got back on the hardwood and added another W to the win column by topping the Owls 25-14, 25-20, 25-16.
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BERG RECAP (W 3-0):

A rather tight first would end up being the most competitive one all day, with the visitors hanging tough and only trailing 15-14 across the midway point. Otterbein created separation down the stretch, however, with an 8-4 spurt to grab the early lead.

That energy trickled over into a dominant second frame, where the Cards trailed 6-5 early before outscoring Heidelberg 20-5 over the remainder.

Otterbein then ballooned an 11-9 cushion into a more comfortable 19-13 edge in the third, forcing a Berg timeout. The Student Princes won a few points out of that temporary break… but it wouldn't be enough juice as three kills from Morgan Hartman over the final five points helped seal the job.

Kennedy Hoffman (16) and Hartman (13) combined for 29 kills for a team that hit .310 in the opening frame and settled at .260 for the day. Heidelberg was only able to muster a .022 percentage as libero Amanda Troyer led the defensive effort at 19 digs. Hartman added another 10 for a crisp double-double.

The Cardinals were aggressive in the serve game as per usual, committing seven errors but also tallying six aces at some critical points along the way.
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KENYON RECAP (W 3-0):

Otterbein only led 12-10 in the first set before a quick 8-2 burst created nearly a double-digit margin. The Owls then chucked their best punch in the middle set but didn't quite have enough, forcing a 17-17 deadlock before the Cards pulled away with some key points.

The Cardinals began the third set on a 9-4 run and never trailed, expanding that margin to 17-9 a few moments later and coasting down the stretch. Otterbein had 10 different players register at least one kill.

The service line once again proved to be a separator for the home side, as Otterbein rattled off 13 aces and just one error. Five players also had multiple blocks defensively… headlined by three from both Annie Casper and Hope Cuppett.
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UP NEXT:

A pair of road matches up in the Cleveland area on now on deck for Otterbein, traveling to John Carroll on Wednesday (for a rematch of the 2022 OAC Tournament Final) and then back to the area for a date with host Baldwin Wallace next weekend.