Volleyball to host OAC Semifinal on Thursday

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals are back in Westerville on Thursday when the No. 2 seeded Cardinals welcome the No. 3 seed Muskingum. By claiming a share of the OAC Regular Season title, the Cardinals earned a first round bye and will be playing their first game since Nov. 5. On Tuesday, the Muskies survived a scare by winning a marathon thriller in five sets over Heidelberg.

A spot in Saturday's championship match is on the line. The winner will play the winner of the Marietta-Ohio Northern game at a time and location to be determined based on Thursday's results.

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SCOUTING No. 2 OTTERBEIN (22-5, 7-1 OAC): Emerson Baum and Lexi Scott lead a power-packed offense, with each averaging over three kills per set. Baum sets the tone on both sides of the ball, as her 302 kills lead the team, as do her 90 total blocks. Scott, a junior outside, has floored 272 kills so far. Seniors Brooke Barb and Maddie Mergen continue to be solid options for the Cardinal offense, while Chandler Crowell has enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore.

Olivia Vitaz has ditched out 686 assists while adding 96 kills, proving her versatility. Her 59 total blocks are the third-most on the team behind Baum and Crowell, and has racked up 212 digs. Ashley Kefauver and Grace Ganz are anchors to a solid back row, with Makenzie Schellenberger and Emma Steiger stepping into bigger roles this season. The quartet have combined for over 900 digs led by 375 from Kefauver.

SCOUTING No. 3 MUSKINGUM (19-9, 6-2 OAC): On the brink of elimination on Tuesday, the Muskies held off a reverse sweep, knocking off No. 6 Heidelberg. Four different Muskies contributed double-digit kills, led by 15 from junior Mackenzie Krous. Krous also collected a team-high 25 digs in the match.

Krous's 366 kills lead the OAC, and she sits second on Muskingum in digs as a six rotation outside. Fellow junior Katharine Clayton paces the Muskingum defense with 575 digs this season.

During the regular season matchup in New Concord, Otterbein won 3-1. Baum contributed 22 kills, hitting .383 for the match. Outside hitters Barb and Scott added double-digit kills in the win. Despite Muskingum holding the edge in blocks, the Cardinals attacked at a .221 mark for the match compared to .083 by the Muskies.

Kefauver and Ganz turned in terrific performances, combining for 40 digs in the win. Vitaz ran the offense with 47 assists. Muskingum's Krous led the hosts with 12 kills.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Brooke Barb: OH; 5' 10"; Senior

#26 Emerson Baum: MB/OH; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#24 Chandler Crowell: MB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#16 Grace Ganz: DS; 5' 5"; Senior

#11 Ashley Kefauver: DS; 5' 7"; Junior

#6 Maddie Mergen: OPP; 6' 0"; Senior

#21 Makenzie Schellenberger: DS; 5' 9"; Junior

#19 Lexi Scott: OH; 5' 11"; Junior

#2 Emma Steiger: DS; 5' 7"; Junior

#25 Olivia Vitaz: S; 5' 10"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Brooke Barb
: 5' 10"; Senior
: OH

#26 Emerson Baum
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: MB/OH

#24 Chandler Crowell
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: MB

#16 Grace Ganz
: 5' 5"; Senior
: DS

#11 Ashley Kefauver
: 5' 7"; Junior
: DS

#6 Maddie Mergen
: 6' 0"; Senior
: OPP

#21 Makenzie Schellenberger
: 5' 9"; Junior
: DS

#19 Lexi Scott
: 5' 11"; Junior
: OH

#2 Emma Steiger
: 5' 7"; Junior
: DS

#25 Olivia Vitaz
: 5' 10"; Senior
: S