GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The (RV) Otterbein volleyball opened up their second day in Michigan with a match against SUNY Cortland. The Cardinals quickly took down the Red Dragons in straight sets (25-15, 25-19, 25-23), before turning around to face No. 15 Calvin, getting a win against the Knights in four sets (26-24, 25-18, 16-25, 25-20). The win over Calvin marks Otterbein's second Top 25 win in as many days, sweeping No. 16 UW-Whitewater on Friday.
GAME ONE: Otterbein 3 Cortland 0
The Cardinals opened day two in Grand Rapids with a sweep of SUNY Cortland, cruising past the Red Dragons, 25-15, 25-19, 25-23.
The first set went quickly in the Cardinals' favor, as they controlled the action from start to finish while hitting an impressive .308 as a team. Otterbein maintained momentum throughout the set, having their largest lead at 20-12 before closing out the set, 25-15, thanks to a Cortland error.
The second set opened with the teams going point for point before Cortland pulled ahead, 8-6. An ace from Emerson Baum and a kill from Chandler Crowell sparked the Cardinal offense, who thenfound their rhythm and took control of the set. Senior
Makenzie Schellenberger slammed a kill to claim the second set victory, 25-19.
During the third and final set, it was neck and neck for the majority of the set. Cortland pulled ahead 23-21, before a service error and net violation from the Red Dragons put the teams at an even 23-23. Senior
Elise Adelman rattled off back-to-back aces to secure the Cardinal win, 25-23.
Offensively, Crowell led the pack, posting 12 kills at a clean .360 clip. Just behind her was senior
Lexi Scott with nine kills and an impressive .444 hitting percentage. Adelman recorded 25 assists and two aces for the Cardinals, while libero
Ashley Kefauver finished with 10 digs, pacing the Otterbein defense.
GAME TWO: Otterbein 3 No. 15 Calvin 1
The two teams went point for point throughout the first set before Calvin took the lead 22-20. After a timeout from Otterbein, the Cardinals took charge and tied up the set, 22-22, thanks to a Crowell kill and a double block by Baum and Adelman. The teams traded points yet again before a kill from Baum put the Cards at set point, 25-24. An attacking error from the Knights awarded Otterbein the set one win, 26-24.
Otterbein started off strong in set two, taking control early and never allowing Calvin to take the lead. After a monster block by sophomore
Claire Baker and Crowell, a Calvin net violation granted the dominant set two win to Otterbein, 25-18.
During the third set, the Knights rallied early on and took control from the get-go. Even though Otterbein fought back to make the score an even 8-8, it was not enough to stop the Knights' offensive arsenal, and Otterbein dropped set three to Calvin, 25-16. Calvin out swung the Cards by a large margin, hitting an impressive .429 as a squad in the set.
In the fourth and final set, Otterbein maintained its lead for the majority of the set. The Cardinals closed out the match with a four-point run to secure the 25-20 victory over No. 15 Calvin. The win marked Otterbein's first ever victory over the Knights, breaking the stretch of losses in every matchup dating back to 2010. This brings Otterbein's record to 10-1 on the season.
Baum led the Cardinal's offense with 12 kills and a .323 hitting percentage. Crowell was right behind her with 11 kills, also adding 11 digs to the Otterbein victory. Adelman dished out 34 assists as well as three aces against the Knights. Schellenberger led the way defensively, adding 11 digs to the Otterbein arsenal.
The Cardinals will be back in action on Saturday, where they travel to Lexington, Kentucky to take on the (RV) University of Dubuque and Transylvania University. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m.
