With the second week of classes coming to a close, Otterbein Cardinals begin their fall sport campaigns this Labor Day weekend.
The Otterbein women’s volleyball team will kickoff the weekend with their home tournament against the Saint Mary’s Belles. The Cardinals finished last season with 16 wins and 14 losses.
Returning to the team are two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) senior middle hitter Morgan Lowenkamp and junior setter Andrea Miller. Lowenkamp finished the season 6th in the league for kills per set and blocking while Miller ranked fifth in the league with 966 assists.
The volleyball team will have three other matches this weekend before playing nine of 11 away from the Rike Center.
The Otterbein women’s soccer team will start their season away from home facing the Aurora Spartans at the Aurora Classic in Illinois Sept. 1-3.
After the exit of their 11 seniors, the team will bring back just one starter on offense and five others for defense. All-OAC defenders senior Alyssa Spencer and junior Katie Best will lead this year's team after helping the Cardinals finish second in the league for fewest goals and goals-against average.
The women’s soccer team will travel on Sept. 3 to face the Kalamazoo Hornets. They will return for their home opener against the Denison Big Red Sept. 6.
The Otterbein men’s soccer team will be home facing the La Roche Redhawks on Sept. 2. Last year the team finished with eight wins, seven losses and three ties.
Three-time, All-OAC selection, junior Jaden Lunger will be returning after starting all 18 matches. Lunger will be aided by sophomore goalkeeper Collin Hoffmann and notable top seven scorers senior Nate Norris and sophomore Tiger Pham.
The men’s soccer team will play three away games before coming back home to face long-time rival, the Capital Crusaders.
After finishing with five wins and five losses last Fall, the Cardinal’s football team opens the season with a non-conference game facing the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops.
Leading the football team is All-OAC quarterback senior Logan Stepp. Stepp had a breakout season last year, leading the league in total offense per game and finishing second with 25 touchdowns. 15 of 22 starters will be returning this season, nine of them being offensive players who averaged 30 points per game last year.
The defense will return six starters, including two-time All-OAC defensive end, senior Kyle Blust. Blust finishing third in the league with 16.5 tackles for loss, 48 total tackles, nine of which were sacks.
The football team will begin their OAC campaign when they come home September 9 to face the Muskingum Fighting Muskies.
