Muskingum Volleyball falls to Otterbein and 5th-ranked Thomas More

The Muskingum volleyball team fell to Otterbein 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 21-25, 23-25) and fifth-ranked Thomas More 3-1 (25-22, 15-25, 13-25, 19-25) on Saturday.

The Basics

• The dual match was hosted by Otterbein.
• Muskingum now stands 21-5 overall and 5-2 in the OAC.
• The Muskies host Marietta on Tuesday, October 23 at 7:00 p.m.

Notables

• Senior Jordan Youngs recorded her 1,000 career dig.
• Muskingum arrived at Otterbein one game back of the first place Cardinals in the OAC.
• Thomas More was ranked fifth in the latest AVCA Top 25 Poll. 

• In the first set, the Muskies and Cardinals battled neck and neck with neither team taking more than a two-point lead early on. Otterbein registered three points in a row to put them ahead 21-18. The Muskies fought back, but were unable to stop the Cardinals. Otterbein recorded the final point to take the set.
• In the second set, the Cardinals took an early lead of 9-6 and later expanded the gap 15-11. The Muskies answered back with a 6-2 run to tie up the contest 17-17.  Muskingum registered back-to-back points to lock in the 25-20 victory.
• In the third set, Otterbein took an 11-9 lead over the Muskies. The Cardinals registered a 6-1 run to increase their advantage. Muskingum trimmed their deficit some, but Otterbein was able to secure the set with a score of 25-21.
• In the fourth and final set, the Cardinals came out hot and took an early lead of 14-11. The Muskies tallied a 9-6 run to tie up play 20-20. The Muskies continued to battle but Otterbein could not be halted. A kill by A. King-Mendenhall notched the 25-23 win for the Cardinals. 
• The Muskies were led by sophomore Brooke Fatheree who registered 17 kills, 13 digs, and 18 points.
• Sophomore Brynn Guist added 14 kills, while freshman Carson Miller recorded 11. 
• Sophomore Erin Dickson directed the offense with 44 assists.
• The defensive efforts were led by sophomore Jessica Cottle who secured 20 digs. 
• Youngs locked in 18 digs. 
• As a team Muskingum logged 52 kills, 50 assists, and 74 digs.

Thomas More 3-1 (25-22, 15-25, 13-25, 19-25)

• In set one, the Saints took an early lead of 6-0 and later expanded the gap 17-9. The Muskies answered with a ferocious 10-2 run to advance past the Saints with a score of 19-18. Thomas More fought back, but the Muskies could not be halted. A block by Guist and Fatheree secured the win for the Muskies.
• In set two, the Saints recorded back-to-back points to put them ahead 15-10. The Muskies fought to trim the deficit, but the Saints continued to control the play. Thomas more locked in the 25-15 victory.
• In the third set, the Saints jumped out to an early lead of 9-5. The Saints recorded a 12-4 run to widen the deficit for the Muskies. A kill by Carlee Lambert notched the 25-13 victory for the Saints. 
• In the fourth set, Thomas More came out hot and took the lead 14-10. The Muskies chipped away at the differential, but the Saints recorded the last point to take the set. 
• Fatheree guided the Muskies with 13 kills, 14 digs, and 17 points.
• Guist added 9 kills. 
• Dickson recorded a team-best 34 assists.
• The backline was anchored by Cottle who had 19 digs and Youngs who had 18.
• As a team the Muskies notched 41 kills, 38 assists, and 75 digs.