DELAWARE, Ohio – In their last regular season game of the 2026 season, the No. 14 Otterbein volleyball team took a trip up to Delaware, Ohio to take on the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops. The Cardinals dominated the cross-town opponents in straight sets, claiming their 12th straight win (25-15, 25-20, 25-15).  

 

In set one, Otterbein immediately came out firing against the hosts, quickly grabbing a large lead against the Battling Bishops. With the Cardinals' largest lead being 20-10, Otterbein swung at an impressive .293 clip as a squad, as well as leading OWU in service aces and kills. A service ace from senior Makenzie Schellenberger secured the first set win for the Cardinal crew, 25-15.  

 

During set two, Otterbein again came out strong yet again, taking control of the set from the get-go. After a dominating service run by Emerson Baum, the Cardinals kept the Battling Bishops under double digits for the majority of the set, before a scoring run from OWU forced an Otterbein timeout at 21-17. Following this, the Battling Bishops continued to fight against their deficit, eventually being within three points of the visiting Cardinals. However, the hosts' efforts could not compete with the Otterbein offense, and a kill from Baum claimed the set two win for the Cardinals, 25-20.  

 

In the third and final set, the Cardinals picked up right where they left off, dominating with help from an early service run from senior Elise Adelman. With Otterbein being up 12-3, OWU was forced to take a timeout. After this Battling Bishops intermission, Otterbein stuck with their rhythm and did not allow OWU to take control for the entirety of set three. The Cardinals dominated offensively, hitting at a .300 mark as a team. An OWU service error handed the Otterbein squad the set three win, 25-15. 

 

On the offensive side, Baum led with nine kills, with senior Lexi Scott right behind her with eight. Adelman tallied 25 assists for the Cardinals as well as leading the defense with 13 digs. Schellenberger totaled 11 digs while Baum recorded four total blocks.  

 

The Cardinals will return to action on Thursday, Nov. 12 in the OAC Semifinals, where they will host the winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal game featuring the Marietta College Pioneers and the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders. First serve is set for 7 p.m.