TIFFIN -- The Heidelberg University volleyball team dropped both of their games in a trimatch with Otterbein University and Albion College on Saturday, falling 3-0 to the Cardinals in the opener and in five sets to the Britons in the finale. The losses set Heidelberg back to 6-16 overall, 1-4 in the conference. 

On the afternoon, Anamya Truex led the offense with 22 kills and a .288 attacking percentage.  Grace Porter had 19 kills while Ashley Foster and Lexi Wachtman had 18 and 16 kills respectively. 

The attack ran through the direction of setters Julianna Pena and Kelsey Custenborder who finished with 51 and 33 assists.  

Defensively, Truex had 11 total blocks to lead HU.  Foster added eight and Porter amassed seven.  

Libero Nicole Thomas picked up 46 digs -- averaging 5.75 per set. Grace Dohanyos contributed 19 digs.  

Otterbein (16-5, 4-1), which blasted the Tricolor in the first and third sets, was forced to outlast the pesky Student Princes in the second set. Down 7-5, HU went on a 10-1 run that included two blocks.  Despite the 15-8 hole, the Cardinals pecked their way back into the set.  The visitors used an 8-1 run to take a 20-19 lead.  Heidelberg had two cracks at set point, but were unable to find the floor.  Down 25-24, Otterbein took the final three points.  

The Cardinals won the match by a score of 25-14, 27-25, 25-16.  

Albion, which lost to Otterbein 3-1 in the middle match, easily won the first set against Heidelberg.  In the second set, Heidelberg used an 8-1 run to turn a four-point hole into a three-point lead at 14-11. From there, the teams bounced back and forth deep into the set. Both squads had two looks at set point before Heidelberg won on a kill from Foster and a Briton error.  

In the critical third set, Heidelberg let a 24-21 slip away. Two kills each by Albion's Kaylynne Nicholson and Chloe Webber helped the Britons steal the set away.  

Undeterred, the Tricolor persevered in the back-and-forth fourth set.  Two Albion errors pushed HU to the brink at 24-23, but an Olivia Alexander kill prolonged the set. Much like the second, a Foster kill and a Briton error pushed the set to HU. 

In the deciding set, Albion watched a 4-1 lead evaporate into a 6-5 'Berg advantage.  The Brits responded with a 4-0 run, which Heidelberg quickly answered.  Like the previous three sets, the fifth moved into extra points, with a Foster kill tying the match at 15.  However, a Jesse Hepner kill followed by an attack error by HU allowed the Britons to escape with the victory -- 25-19, 26-28, 26-24, 24-26, 17-15.  

Heidelberg will return to action on Wednesday at Baldwin Wallace. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.