WESTERVILLE — The Otterbein volleyball team fell to Ohio Athletic Conference opponent Muskingum and No. 15 Case Western Reserve in a tri-match for Senior Day on Saturday. The Cardinals opened play with a 3-0 loss to the Fighting Muskies, falling 17-25, 22-25, 21-25, and later dropped a 3-1 match to the Spartans, falling 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 26-28 in a hard-fought battle. As part of the Senior Day festivities, the Cardinals recognized seniors Hope Cuppett, Kennedy Hoffman, Kristen Scherger and Amanda Troyer in a ceremony prior to their match against Case Western.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (14-8 overall, 3-2 OAC), Muskingum (10-9 overall, 2-3 OAC), Case Western Reserve (18-4 overall)
• Venue: Rike Center - Westerville, Ohio

Otterbein Stat Leaders vs. Muskingum

• Hoffman and freshman Emerson Baum led the Cardinals in kills with 12 and 11, respectively.
• Three Cardinals tallied double-digit dig totals led by Troyer with 19. Juniors Olivia Vitaz and Grace Ganz added 14 and 13, respectively.
• Vitaz led the team with 24 assists.
• Scherger posted a team-best three blocks.

Match Highlights vs. Muskingum

• In the first set, Otterbein trailed 20-10 but managed to close the gap with a 7-2 run, bringing the score to within seven before ultimately falling short at 25-17.
• The Cardinals got off to a strong start in the second set, leading 9-4. However, the Muskies answered back with a 13-2 run to seize a four-point lead. Otterbein tried to mount a comeback, but the Muskies swiftly added another four points before closing out the second set at 25-22.
• Otterbein continued to fight hard, staying within one point for much of the third set. Leading 23-21, Muskingum clinched the match via a service error and attack error from Otterbein.
• Otterbein finished with 36 kills while hitting .103, and Muskingum finished with 42 kills while hitting .207.

Otterbein Stat Leaders vs. Case Western Reserve

• Sophomore Lexi Scott blew past her previous career-high for kills with 20 to lead the Cardinals in that category. Her previous career best was five. Scott hit .300 for the match.
• Hoffman added 16 kills to go with 11 from Scherger.
• Troyer had 22 digs to lead three Cardinals in double figures in that category. Vitaz added 15 to go with 12 from sophomore Ashley Kefauver.
• Vitaz matched her career high with 49 assists, which she also posted twice as a sophomore.
• Kefauver had a team-best three aces, and Baum and junior Maddie Mergen added four blocks each.

Match Highlights vs. Case Western Reserve

• Otterbein found motivation and delivered a hard-fought performance throughout the match against the Spartans. The Cardinals held the lead in the first set until around the halfway point when Case Western rallied to take a four-point advantage. However, Otterbein responded with a 9-2 run, clinching the first set against the nationally ranked team with a score of 25-21.
• In the second set, the two teams stayed within a one-point difference until Case Western launched an 8-3 run, leading Otterbein to call a timeout with the Spartans ahead 17-11. The teams traded points for the remainder of the set, with Otterbein going on a 5-2 run to close the gap to three. However, Case Western managed to seal the second set, 25-21.
• The largest margin in the third set between the two teams was three points. They were tied at 16-16 until Case Western called a timeout and scored three points in a row. The Cardinals responded with a timeout and narrowed the gap to one point, but it wasn't enough, as the Spartans took the third set, 25-23. 
• The Cardinals battled fiercely to win the fourth set and push the Spartans to a fifth, with the score going back and forth up to 28 points. Just as in the third set, the largest margin was three points, but Otterbein fell short after Case Western scored three consecutive points, clinching the 28-26 win.
• Otterbein finished with 63 kills while hitting .215, and Case Western finished with 55 kills while hitting .218.

Notables

• Saturday marked the culmination of a four-match week for Otterbein. The Cardinals won 3-0 at Wilmington on Wednesday and 3-0 over Oberlin on Thursday.
• Case Western Reserve is ranked No. 15 nationally in this week's AVCA/TARAFLEX NCAA Division III Poll. Otterbein is in the "Others receiving votes" section with 2 points. Entering Saturday, all three of Case Western's losses this season had come to nationally ranked teams in Marietta, Emory and NYU.
• Muskingum defeated Case Western 3-2 in the second game of the tri-match.
• Head coach Monica Wright is in her 18th year at Otterbein and boasts an all-time record of 368-185 at the helm of the Cardinals.
• Troyer ranks third all-time at Otterbein in career service aces (158) and fifth all-time in career digs (1,536).
• Vitaz has 1,495 career assists.
• Hoffman has 945 career kills.