DC splits on day two of Otterbein/Capital Volleyball Tournament

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Purple and Gold volleyball team almost pulled off a four-match sweep of their opening weekend, but came up short in game one on Saturday, August 31. DC fell to Otterbein in five sets, but bounced back with a four-set victory over Kenyon in the second match to conclude the weekend 3-1.

After the Lady Jackets put together two thrilling victories on Friday night, they were up early to bout with the host Otterbein Cardinals at 9:30 am. In the first set, the late finish the night before may have been a factor, as DC got out of the gates slow. It played from behind the entire time and fell 25-20.

However, Defiance started to find its groove in set two and went up 12-7 early off a kill from senior outside hitter Chelsea Ludeman. The No.14 ranked Cardinals then responded with a 12-6 run of their own to take the lead 19-18. The resilient Jackets answered right back with six of the next eight points to set up set point at 24-21. With its back against the wall, Otterbein surged ahead to 25-24, after notching four-straight points. Fortunately for DC, the Cardinals couldn't pull off the comeback, as they committed four crucial attack errors, two off blocks from Ludeman and freshman Kelsey Tietje, and the Purple and Gold took the set 29-27.

With the momentum shifted in DC's favor, it used some Otterbein errors and a pair of kills from both senior Alexis Pierce and junior Bree Anderson to go up 9-6 in the third set. Ludeman then came through with back-to-back kills off Alicia Kalik assists to extend the advantage to 16-9. The Cardinals tried to respond, but could not find a rhythm and the Yellow Jackets pulled out a 25-21 third-set victory.

With Defiance seemingly set up to pull off the huge upset of No.14 Otterbein, the home squad regrouped and responded with a dominating fourth set. The Cardinals put up 17 kills for a 25-13 set victory that squared the match up at two sets apiece.

It was then a back-and-forth affair in the final set of the match. The teams battled to a 9-9 tie, but the Jackets simply just ran out of gas. Otterbein came up with a trio of aces, along with three kills to win the fifth set 15-11 and take the thrilling match 3-2.

For the match, Ludeman led the team with 22 kills on a .391 attack percentage, while Anderson finished second with 14. Kalik was solid again in assists, as she racked up 43.

With no time to rest up, after a hard-fought match with Otterbein, Defiance got right back to the court to take on the Kenyon Lords. DC took the first set 25-23, but then the Lords came back with a 25-23 victory in the second to tie the match up at 1-1.

After the tough loss in game one, the Lady Jackets knew they needed the second game to split on the day and they came through. The squad defeated Kenyon 25-19 in the third set, and then 25-14 in the fourth to grab the victory.

Ludeman was dominant again, as she racked up a whopping 27 kills on a dazzling .435 attack percentage. Pierce and Anderson chipped in with 14 and 9 respectively. Setter Alicia Kalik notched 35 assists to pace the team. It was her first match under 40 assists on the weekend.

Overall, the DC volleyball team returns to Defiance, Ohio with a very successful weekend under its belt. The squad went 3-1 for the second-consecutive year in the opening tournament and builds some momentum heading into its home-opener this upcoming week.

For her outstanding play at the Otterbein/Capital Tournament, senior Chelsea Ludeman earned All-Tournament Team. The outside hitter totaled 85 kills at an average of 4.72 per set on a .328 attack percentage. The Napoleon, Ohio native also chipped in with the second-most blocks on the team at 22.

The Purple and Gold volleyball team will host the University of Northwestern Ohio Racers on Wednesday, September 4 in the home opener. The match is slated to begin at 7 pm.