BEXLEY — The Otterbein volleyball team split a doubleheader with Hanover (Ind.) and Franklin (Ind.) on Saturday to close out the Pam Briggs Classic. The Cardinals fell 3-1 with set scores of 25-14, 13-25, 16-25, 19-25 to Hanover and rebounded for a 25-20, 25-8, 25-18 sweep of Franklin.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (6-1 overall), Hanover (6-0 overall), Franklin (3-5 overall)
• Venue: Capital Center - Bexley, Ohio
• Otterbein and Capital served as co-hosts of the two-day Pam Briggs Classic. Click here for the full event site.

Otterbein Stat Leaders vs. Hanover

• Seniors Kristen Scherger and Kennedy Hoffman led Otterbein with seven kills each to go with six from junior Maddie Mergen.
• Senior Amanda Troyer led three Cardinals with double-digit digs. Troyer tallied 15 digs to go with 14 from sophomore Ashley Kefauver and 11 from sophomore Makenzie Schellenberger.
• Junior Olivia Vitaz finished with a team-high 15 assists to go with 14 from freshman Kaitlyn Schram.
• Scherger, Mergen and freshman Emerson Baum posted four blocks each.

Match Highlights vs. Hanover

• Otterbein put together a 10-1 run in the middle of the first set to take a 21-9 lead. Hanover scored the next three points, but the Cardinals closed out the set by scoring four of the next six points for the 25-14 win.
• Hanover opened up a 16-13 lead in the second set and proceeded to score the next nine points for the 25-13 victory.
• The Panthers went on a 7-0 run early in the third set to take a 13-7 edge and later led 19-15 before scoring six of the next seven points for the 25-16 win.
• Hanover scored the first five points of the fourth set en route to taking a 15-4 lead. With the Panthers up 22-11, Otterbein went on an 8-1 run highlighted by three kills from Hoffman and one each from Baum and Schram to cut the deficit to four, 23-19. Hanover scored the next two points to clinch the match.
• Otterbein finished with 36 kills while hitting .092, while Hanover tallied 45 kills while hitting .152.

Otterbein Stat Leaders vs. Franklin

• Vitaz and Hoffman led Otterbein in kills with nine and five, respectively.
• Troyer paced the Cardinals in digs with 20, and Schram added a team-high 15 assists.
• Baum led the way with five blocks.
• The Cardinals recorded 15 service aces led by seven from Troyer, four from Baum and three from Vitaz.

Match Highlights vs. Franklin

• Otterbein took an early 12-4 lead in the first set and later led 23-16 before Franklin responded with a 4-0 run to get back within three, 23-20. The Cardinals scored the next two points to win the set courtesy of a Franklin attack error and kill from Scherger.
• Trailing 2-0 in the second set, the Cardinals 14-0 run to take control. That surge included three aces from Troyer and two kills each from Hoffman and Vitaz. Otterbein continued to hold a big lead en route to the 25-8 win.
• A much tighter third set featured five ties ealy on capped by an 8-all score. Leading 14-13, Otterbein scored five straight points capped by a kill from Vitaz and an ace from Schram for a 19-13 edge. After Franklin got back within four, 21-17, the Cardinals scored four of the next five points to win the match.
• Otterbein finished with 30 kills while hitting .202, while Franklin tallied 15 kills while hitting -.073.

Notables

• Hoffman and Baum were both named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Otterbein received 134 points and sits just outside the top 25 at No. 26 in this week's AVCA/TARAFLEX NCAA Division III Poll.
• Head coach Monica Wright is in her 18th year at Otterbein and boasts an all-time record of 360-178 at the helm of the Cardinals.
• Troyer ranks sixth all-time at Otterbein in career service aces (132) and 10th all-time in career digs (1,277).
• Vitaz has 1,109 career assists.
• Hoffman has 774 career kills.