RICHMOND, Ind. – Playing their fourth match in as many days, the No. 18 Otterbein University volleyball team split a pair of matches at Earlham University. Otterbein dropped a heartbreaking five-set thriller to No. 15 Calvin before defeating the host Quakers in four sets to end the day.
GAME ONE: No. 15 Calvin 3 No. 18 Otterbein 2
In a clash between two top-25 programs, the Cardinals came up just short to Calvin in their second matchup of the season. Despite Otterbein holding a two sets to one lead, the Knights prevailed in five sets. Calvin took the first set, 27-25, before the Cardinals answered with a dominant 25-19 victory in the second set. In the second set, the Knights hit at .098 compared to .226 by Otterbein.
After the Cardinals won the third by a 25-23 margin, Calvin forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-20 win in the fourth. In the fifth, Calvin stormed out to a 12-6 lead and never looked back – a deficit too large for the Cardinals to overcome.
Lexi Scott's 19 kills were a team-best, hitting at a .306 clip as an outside hitter. Emerson Baum was the only other Cardinal to finish with double-digit kills, flooring 13 in the loss.
A quartet of Cardinals racked up double-digit digs, paced by 22 from Ashley Kefauver. Mackenzie Schellenberger (15), Chandler Crowell (14) and Emma Steiger (10) all recorded 10-plus digs for Otterbein.
As a team, Otterbein hit .190 for the match and committed 11 service errors.
GAME TWO: No. 18 Otterbein 3 Earlham 1
Otterbein answered with a 25-19 victory over the Quakers in set one. Tied at 16, the Cardinals rattled off seven consecutive points to build to a 23-16 advantage, highlighted by three aces from Steiger in that stretch. The senior tallied four in the match to lead all players.
After Earlham evened the match with a 25-20 win in the second set, Otterbein controlled the third set, coming away with a 25-13 win. Once again with Steiger back to serve, the Cardinals went on another run to create distance from the Quakers. Leading 24-13, an ace off the hand of Crowell pushed Otterbein one set from the win.
The Cardinals kept the momentum rolling into the fourth set, leading 14-4 early on and never looking back. Otterbein finished the day with a win over Earlham, 25-14 in the final set.
Otterbein recorded 11 total blocks compared to just one by the Quakers. Scott's 17 kills once again led the charge, hitting at a blistering .448 clip. Freshman Mallory Bledsoe ran the offense, dishing out 37 assists in the win. Fellow freshman Courtney Post added five total blocks, with Schellenberger's 11 digs leading the defense.
The Cardinals will return to the Rike Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest against Muskingum University.
