SPRINGFIELD — The Otterbein volleyball team defeated Berea (Ky.) and Wittenberg in 3-0 sweeps in a Wittenberg Fall Classic doubleheader on Friday to open its 2024 season. The Cardinals began the night with a 25-22, 25-15, 25-20 victory over Berea and closed out the doubleheader with a 25-16, 25-19, 25-23 win over the host Tigers.
The Basics
- Records: Otterbein (2-0 overall), Berea (0-1 overall), Wittenberg (0-1 overall)
- Venue: Pam Evans Smith Arena - Springfield, Ohio
- Friday marked the first day of the two-day Wittenberg Fall Classic.
Stat Leaders vs. Berea
The Match - Otterbein 3, Berea 0
- Otterbein opened the first set by taking a 5-1 lead before Berea fought back to tie the game at 8-all.
- Berea took a 22-20 edge later in the set, but the Cardinals scored the next five points for the 25-22 win. A Hoffman kill and four Berea attack errors spurred the winning spurt.
- That momentum continued into the second set, as Otterbein built a 21-13 edge and scored four of the next six points to go up 2-0 in the match. Two kills from Vitaz and one each from Lechnir and junior Maddie Mergen highlighted the scoring run to close it out.
- Berea shot out to an 8-4 lead in the third set, but the Cardinals responded with a 15-7 run for a 19-15 edge. Berea got within three, 23-20, but Otterbein closed out the sweep courtesy of a Mountaineer service error and kill from Lechnir.
- Otterbein finished with 49 kills and a .281 hitting percentage, and Berea posted 27 kills and a .096 hitting percentage.
Stat Leaders vs. Wittenberg
- Vitaz led the Cardinals with 10 kills while hitting .556 and adding 18 assists.
- Hoffman and Lechnir tallied seven kills each.
- Troyer posted 18 digs.
The Match - Otterbein 3, Wittenberg 0
- Otterbein came out strong in the first set, opening up a 20-12 lead. Later, up 21-15, the Cardinals closed out the win with a 4-1 run that included kills from senior Kristen Scherger and Baum.
- A more tightly contested second set saw the teams play to a 15-all tie. Later holding an 18-17 edge, the Cardinals scored three straight points, including kills from Mergen and Scherger, to create some separation. The Tigers cut the deficit to two, 21-19, but Otterbein answered by scoring the final four points to go up 2-0. That final spurt included kills from Scherger, junior Olivia Jurcevic and Vitaz and a service ace from Jurcevic.
- The Tigers continued battling, taking an 8-4 lead to open the third set. Otterbein responded with a run to take a 17-13 edge and later led 24-20. Wittenberg scored the next three points, but a Baum kill secured the sweep for the Cardinals.
- Otterbein finished with 44 kills and a .275 hitting percentage, and Wittenberg posted 33 kills and a .167 hitting percentage.
Notables
- Head coach Monica Wright, a Wittenberg alum, is in her 18th year at Otterbein and boasts an all-time record of 356-177 at the helm of the Cardinals.
- Troyer ranks sixth all-time at Otterbein in career service aces (118) and 10th all-time in career digs (1,200).
- Vitaz surpassed 1,000 career assists, increasing her total to 1,030.
- Hoffman has 730 career kills.
- Otterbein is now 2-0 all-time against Berea and 3-8 against Wittenberg after getting its second straight win over the Tigers in the series.
- Otterbein is coming off a 2023 season in which it finished 23-9 overall and 9-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, marking its first perfect regular season in school history. The Cardinals have won the OAC Tournament three of the last four years and advanced to their fourth straight NCAA Division III Tournament last season.
- Otterbein received 17 points in the AVCA Preseason Division III Poll.
Quotes
- Junior Olivia Vitaz on the two wins: "There was a lot of great communication that led to a lot of great plays. There was a lot of support and people stepping up when they needed to tonight, and it was great to see everybody finding their groove and getting after it."
- Vitaz on her play: "I didn't really hit super hard in the second game tonight. I just kind of found spots that were open, and if that works, that's good for me. Overall, it was just a lot of fun."
- Head coach Monica Wright on her team's performance: "I thought we came out a little sloppy. You never want to see your team not performing at the same intensity level as we have been in practice over the past couple weeks. But it's still nice to come out with a win and work out some of the jitters, and it was nice to see the team that we've been used to for the last week or two show up against a solid Wittenberg team that put up a really great fight. I was pleased with our performance in the second game tonight."
