SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Otterbein University volleyball team battled to the very end Saturday night but came up just short in a five-set thriller at Wittenberg.

The Tigers claimed the match with set scores of 25-22, 27-25, 23-25, 24-26, and 16-14.

After dropping the first two tightly contested sets, the Cardinals regrouped to win the next two and force a decisive fifth. Otterbein held off multiple set points in the fourth to extend the match, but Wittenberg narrowly edged out the finale by two points to secure the win.

Junior Lexi Scott led the way with 18 kills, followed by senior Brooke Barb and sophomore Emerson Baum with 13 apiece. Senior Olivia Vitaz and sophomore Chandler Crowell each posted three blocks, while Vitaz dished out 24 assists and junior Elise Adelman added 17.

Otterbein now sits at 18-4 overall and will return to OAC play on Wednesday, October 22, traveling to Ada for a matchup against Ohio Northern.