LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 20 Otterbein volleyball team traveled to Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday to take on the No. 21 University of Dubuque and Transylvania University. The Cardinals fell in straight sets (25-23, 29-27, 25-21) to Dubuque, then turned around to get the victory against Transylvania in three sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-12).
GAME 1: No. 21 University of Dubuque 3 No. 20 Otterbein 0
In set one, the two teams traded points until the Spartans pulled ahead 18-16. A block from junior
Chandler Crowell and sophomore
Claire Baker brought the teams to an even 18-18, and an ace from
Elise Adelman mixed with a kill from Crowell had Otterbein ahead 20-18. After a Spartan timeout, Dubuque took hold of the set and claimed the victory, 25-23.
During set two, the teams were neck and neck again for the majority of the set. A service ace from Adelman put the Cards up 21-19, and Otterbein got to set point thanks to a kill from Crowell. At 24-21, the Spartans slammed a kill and took charge of the set from there. A Dubuque kill secured a hard-fought set two win for the Spartans, 29-27.
In the third and final set, Dubuque took control early and kept the lead throughout the set. With their largest lead being 17-10, the Spartans led in all categories, finishing out the match, 25-21.
Offensively for the Cardinals, Lexi Scott, Crowell, and Emerson Baum all added nine kills to the Otterbein effort, while Baker hit an impressive .500 on 10 total attempts. Adelman tallied 29 assists, 15 digs, and two aces for the Cardinals, while Crowell led the defensive side with 16 digs.
GAME 2: No. 20 Otterbein 3 Transylvania 0
In the first set, Transylvania led off by striking early and taking the lead. A kill by Crowell sparked the Otterbein offense, bringing the Cards to a 15-14 lead. From there, Otterbein dominated the rest of the set offensively and did not allow another Pioneer lead. A kill from Scott secured the set one victory for Otterbein, 25-20.
Following the first set win, the Cardinals came out strong and led early, with their largest lead being 19-13, Otterbein hit at an impressive .278 clip as a team, outswinging the Pioneers by a large margin. A kill from freshman
Courtney Post secured the second set for the Cardinals, winning 25-19.
In the third and final set, Otterbein continued with their strong lead, pulling ahead in the middle of the set and holding strong throughout. Hitting an incredible .500 percent as a team, the Cardinals sailed past the Pioneers in the final set of the match, taking the win, 25-12.
On the offensive side, Scott led the way with 16 kills, with an outstanding .467 percentage. Baum was right behind her with 10 kills, followed by Adelman with nine. Adelman led the way with 32 assists for the Cardinal crew and recorded six digs. Defensively, senior
Makenzie Schellenberger headed the Cardinals with 10 digs.
The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday, Sep. 30, where they will travel up to Ada, Ohio to take on Ohio Northern University in their first OAC match of the season. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
