TIFFIN -- With an electric crowd hanging on every point, the Heidelberg University Volleyball team fell to No. 19 Otterbein University on Wednesday, in five sets. The loss snapped The Berg's 14-match win streak, but showed the upstart Student Princes that they belong among the elite teams in the region.
Otterbein won, 27-25, 17-25, 17-25, 25-20, 15-13.
The first set featured five lead changes and 17 ties. Heidelberg had three cracks at set point, but the Cardinals rallied to win in extra points.
Undaunted, Heidelberg controlled the momentum in the second and third sets, winning both with relative ease.
The Cardinals roared out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth, but Heidelberg crawled back into the set. Once again, the lead seesawed between the benches -- but the visitors pulled away at the end.
Heidelberg trailed in the fifth, 13-10, but scored twice to pull within one. Despite a raucous 'Berg student section urging on their classmates, Otterbein leaned heavily on their experienced front row and won, 15-13.
Riley Tople had 13 kills and hit an impressive .406.
Emily Miller powered her way to 11 kills.
Emma Jones added eight and
Ava Devereaux had seven.
Olivia Miller had 24 assists and
Maddie Reed, who surpassed the 2,000 assist plateau over the weekend, added 20.
Defensively,
Reagan Davis had 25 digs and 36 serve receptions.
Soraya Jackson was in on seven of her team's 10 team blocks.
Heidelberg slipped to 17-4, 3-1 -- falling for the first time since Sept. 8. The 14-match streak was the second-longest in program history, trailing only a 19-match run in 2011.
The OAC gauntlet continues for the Student Princes on Friday at Marietta (14-6, 3-0). First serve with the Pioneers is slated for 7 p.m.
