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ADA, Ohio – It was a disappointing finish for the top seeded Otterbein women's tennis team in its chase for a third consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament crown, as the Cardinals fell to No. 2 seed Ohio Northern (5-2) in yet another final clash between the schools.

The Polar Bears and Cardinals, meeting for a third-straight year with an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships on the line, were forced to battle through a weather-delayed slugfest after rainfall began near the end of morning doubles play.

First serve was tossed up at 10 a.m… and the league rivals competed through long exchanges over the course of roughly 90 minutes. Erin Storrer and Olivia Eckels did what they typically do on the top line, prevailing 8-3 to give the Cards an initial point.

Courts two and three in the doubles section were anything but simple, as both went into winner-take-all breakers... where the Cards tried closing out tight 5-4 leads in each. But Rachelle Moses and Julia Gillin came up just short in theirs, at 7-5, while Lillia Walter and Aubrey McMahon had an even stranger detour…

Deadlocked 6-6 in the race to seven (must win by two), the showdown entered what would become a lengthy weather delay after rainfall began. The entire match would ultimately get moved almost 20 miles away to Westwood Tennis Center in Lima for indoor courts… where, after a break that lasted two hours and 17 minutes, the ONU counterparts won a pair of quick/consecutive points.

That brief stretch tossed huge momentum to the Polar Bears, who proceeded to then capture three of the first four doubles matches that went final.

Storrer cruised in straight sets (6-2, 6-1) on top of the lineup to keep Otterbein within shouting distance, but ONU was fairly convincing on lines three, four and six to clinch the day. Lillia Walter (7-6, 3-2) was leading her match at second singles and Eckels was just beginning a third set. She won 6-1 before falling back to even after her opponent responded 6-3.

Unfortunately, no matter how you slice it, Otterbein's 25-match winning streak against conference opponents comes to an end with the result. The contest lasted just a touch under five and a half hours from opening serve to last point.

The Polar Bears (18-5 overall) will now represent the OAC in the upcoming national bracket, with selections announced early this coming week.