11th-ranked Volleyball stunned by Otterbein

The 11th-ranked Muskingum volleyball team was stunned against Otterbein in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals on Monday night in front of a Muskie packed Steele Center, 3-0 (21-25, 15-25, 19-25). 

The Basics

• Record: Muskingum (26-3), Otterbein (25-5) 
• Location: New Concord, Ohio - Anne C. Steele Center
• Game Duration: 1:11

Notables 

• The Muskies now await the release of the NCAA Tournament bracket on Monday, November 11, at 12:30 p.m. to see if they will receive an at-large bid into the national tournament.
• This season, the Muskies registered 13 consecutive wins, 18 straight-set victories, and earned a share of the OAC regular-season championship for the first time since 1999.
• Last season, the Muskies claimed a thrilling 3-2 (23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 12-25, 16-14) victory over Otterbein in the second round of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament in the Rike Center in front of a Muskie dominate fan base. 

How it Happened

• Muskingum dropped set one (21-25), two (15-25), and three (19-25).
• As a team, the Muskies registered 30 kills, 29 assists, and 47 digs. 
• Junior Maddie McGee directed the Muskies with 14 kills on 28 assists, notching a blistering .321 hitting percentage.
• Junior Brooke Fatheree chipped in eight kills and tallied 16 digs. 
• Junior Erin Dickson amassed a team-high 28 assists. 
• Junior Maddie Sikorski registered 10 digs. 
• Freshman Emma Conrad notched eight digs, while junior Jessica Cottle secured seven digs. 
• Junior Brynn Guist and McGee registered four blocks each. 

Inside the Sets 

• In set one, the Muskies and Cardinals fought side by side with neither team claiming more than a one-point lead early. Otterbein capitalized on Muskie errors to slide past Muskingum with a score of 12-7. Muskingum retaliated with back-to-back points to get within two points of the Cardinals (17-15). The Muskies fought to close the gap, but the Cardinal momentum carried Otterbein to the final three points to take the set. 
• The battle continued into the second set until the Cardinals tallied a 6-1 run to secure an early 10-7 lead. A service ace by Bridget Oder expanded the gap to 17-12. The Muskies chipped away at the differential, but the Cardinals rode the surge to a 25-15 victory. 
• In set three, Muskingum and Otterbein battled neck and neck until the Muskies tallied three unanswered points to grab the lead with a score of 10-7. Otterbein answered back with a 6-3 run to tie up play to 13-13. The Muskies and Cardinals traded points until Otterbein registered a 7-3 run en route to the 25-19 triumph.