WOOSTER, Ohio – A lengthy opener and then a quick sweep allowed the Otterbein volleyball team to run its winning streak to five matches Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinals handled a quick turnaround to beat DePauw and (host) Wooster at the Ginny Hunt Kilt Classic.

The Cards, taking the court roughly 18 hours after beating Capital to kick off rivalry weekend on campus, boarded the bus and traveled an hour north to the College of Wooster. Despite some dips along the way, Otterbein prevailed twice and now stands 12-7 overall this year.

DePAUW RECAP (W 3-2):

An absolutely bonkers matchup with the Tigers featured nearly as many points as you can imagine. In the end, Otterbein found a way to survive 25-21, 23-25, 27-29, 25-18, 15-13.

Otterbein finished the first set on a 5-1 run, but then dropped a few keys points near the end of the second as the match knotted back up. An insane third frame saw the Cards lead for almost the entire way, but DePauw erased a 20-17 lead and then somehow fended off FOUR set points to steal the slugfest, 29-27.

Admirably, the Cards absorbed that blow and regrouped. A ticked off Otterbein group soared to a football-like 21-14 lead and quickly evened the match soon after, leading to a winner-take-all fifth…

The "race to 15" was tense and edgy. DePauw led 5-4 but Otterbein countered to fly ahead 10-6. After the Tigers made one final push to trailed just 11-10, the Cards responded with a final punch to end the day on a kill from Maddie Mergen.

Senior Morgan Hartman rattled off 25 kills, the second-most of her longstanding career, en route to a hitting line of 25-6-58 (.328) overall. Both setters (Olivia Vitaz and Kailey Mishler) teamed evenly for 25 assists each.

Four Cardinals amassed double-digit digs, led by baller Amanda Troyer and her 26 in the shirt. Hartman and Vitaz had double-doubles while Grace Ganz added 16 herself.

Kennedy Hoffmann had 16 kills and classmate Kristen Scherger hit 12-3-28 to go along with a team-high five block assists.  
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WOOSTER RECAP (W 3-0):

The finale was a bit more comfortable for Otterbein, prevailing over the host Fighting Scots by straight scores of 25-14, 25-16, 25-23. The Cards only hit .165 in the matchup, but benefited from a .043 output on the home side.

Otterbein led 12-3 and 19-8 in the first set, and then broke a 12-12 tie in the middle frame with a dominant 13-4 push. The third set was much, much closer until the Cards led 24-19. Wooster admirably sidestepped four match points before coming up short.

Hoffman (10-1-21) hit over .400 while Scherger was also efficient by whipping around a 6-2-11 line. Head Coach Monica Wright played just about everyone but her three sons in the match, as multiple young Cardinals were able to gain some experience.
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MID-WEEK MATCHUP:

A notable clash is now up next as the Cardinals will travel to play Ohio Northern come Wednesday night, in a showdown that could surely have implications on the future OAC regular-season title. First serve from Ada is set for 7 p.m.