15th-ranked Muskingum volleyball earns their 10th straight victory

The 15th-ranked Muskingum volleyball team earned their 10th straight victory against the Otterbein Cardinals on Saturday, 3-1 (25-18, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17). 

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (23-2, 6-1 OAC), Otterbein (21-5, 5-2 OAC)
• Location: New Concord, Ohio - Anne C. Steele Center
  
• Attendance: 250

Notables

• The Muskies are off to their best start since the 1999 campaign when they advanced to both the OAC and NCAA Tournaments. 
• Muskingum is currently ranked 15th. This marks Muskingum's highest national ranking since 2000.
• The victory was the 10th straight triumph for the Muskies.
• Muskingum currently stands second in the OAC. 
• Senior Allison Cramer was recognized before the start of today's game.
• Fairfield Inn & Suites in Cambridge, Ohio, was the official GAMEDAY sponsor of today's game. 
• After the game, junior Brooke Fatheree and Emily Shuk were named the Fairfield Inn & Suites Players of the Game for their outstanding performance. 
• Fatheree registered her 1,033rd career kill to move to fifth all-time in career kills at Muskingum.

How It Happened

• The Muskies secured set one (25-18), took set two (25-21), dropped set three (25-19), and locked in set four (25-17). 
• Fatheree guided the Muskies with 18 kills on 48 attempts, securing a blistering .313 hitting percentage. 
• Fatheree also dished out 14 digs. 
• Junior Maddie McGee tallied 13 kills, while junior Brynn Guist registered 12. 
• Guist notched a team-high hitting percentage of .500.
• Junior Erin Dickson logged a game-best 50 assists. 
• Junior Jessica Cottle anchored the Muskie backline with a team-best 18 digs. 
• Junior Maddie Sikorski logged 17 digs, while Dickson dished out 11. 

Inside The Sets

• In set one, the Muskies jumped out to an early 9-5 lead over the Cardinals. Muskingum registered back-to-back points to expand the gap to 10-15. Otterbein retaliated with three straight points to get within two points of the Muskies (15-13). The Cardinals chipped away at the deficit, but Muskingum could not be halted. The Muskies secured the last two points to take the set with a score of 25-18. 
• In set two, the Muskies registered three unanswered points to slide past the Cardinals with a score of 12-5. After an Otterbein timeout, the momentum of the game began to change, and the Cardinals registered a ferocious 11-4 run to trim the lead to 22-20. Otterbein fought to close the gap, but the Muskies continued to control play. A kill by Fatheree locked in the 25-21 victory for the Muskies. 
• In set three, the contest remained tight, with neither team gaining more than a three-point lead early on. Otterbein tallied six consecutive points to give them a five-point edge on the Muskies (22-17). Muskingum fought back, but the Cardinals recorded the final two points en route to the 25-19 triumph. 
• The battle continued into set four until the Muskies secured a 6-1 run to grab the lead with a score of 13-9. Otterbein answered with three straight points to trim the lead to 21-16. Despite the Cardinal efforts, the Muskies continued to dominate. Muskingum capitalized on an Otterbein error to secure their 10th consecutive victory of the 2019 season.

Up Next

• Muskingum next travels to Marietta on Tuesday, October 29, to battle the Marietta Pioneers. The start time is slated for 7:00 p.m.