The Big Red volleyball team snapped a three-match skid with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 25-27, 25-12) victory over Otterbein on Thursday night at Livingston Gymnasium in Granville, Ohio.

The first three sets of the match were back-and-forth nail biters throughout the majority of play. Denison secured the opener when sophomore Kristen Brennan had her serve clip the net and fall in between the Cardinals players. Brennan also came up big at the end of the second set. The sophomore almost served up another ace to finish the set, but Otterbein was ready for the short serve. Brennan got another chance and finished her back-row attack for the final point in a 25-17 win.

The Cards continued to battle in the third set, eventually coming away with a 27-25 victory. However, Otterbein had very little left in the tank in the fourth as DU cruised to a 25-12 decision.

Junior Rachele Lock and senior Elena Lein paced the offense charge. Lock led the team with 16 kills, while Lein had 15 kills in 21 attempts with just two errors which resulted in a .619 hitting percentage. Sophomore Kaileigh Poe dished out four assists, while Brennan finished with a team-best three aces.

Defensively, the Big Red had 75 digs and a season-high tying 18 block assists. Sophomore libero Kristin Thewes led the way with 20 digs, while Poe and freshman Olivia Buroker had 14 and 12, respectively. At the net, Lein had six of the 18 block assists, while senior Kenzie Kuhn and sophomore Leah Reinfranck had three each. The duo of Kuhn and Reinfranck also combined for 17 kills. Buroker, Lock and Poe rounded out the defensive play with two rejections apiece.

Morgan Lowenkamp and Sam Hurdzan recorded 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while Andrea Miller handed out 26 assists. Lowenkamp also served up three of Otterbein's five aces. Libero Gracie Staten finished with 16 digs, while Lowenkamp and Marie Thornton each had three blocks.

Denison improves to 8-8 on the season, while the Cardinals fall to 10-11. The Big Red returns to action on Saturday when they host a tri-match with Hiram (1 p.m.) and Rose-Hulman (3 p.m.).