Huron native Hadley Sterett spent two seasons playing at Division I Wright State, but transferred to Otterbein as a junior and instantly became a program-changing player. She would ultimately earn first team All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), first team All-Great Lakes Region, and AVCA All-American honors in both 2017 and 2018.

A 6-0 outside hitter, Sterett emerged into a go-to weapon for the Cardinals while playing all the way around the team’s rotation. Otterbein achieved the best season in program history during the fall of 2017, winning 13-straight matches out of the gate and ultimately finishing with a 30-4 record. They were the first team to amass 30 victories and their .882 winning percentage is an all-time best.

The Cardinals captured the program’s first OAC regular-season title and top seed in the league’s postseason tournament, and then swept through the bracket without dropping a set to claim their second-ever OAC Tournament crown. As a result, Otterbein was chosen as an NCAA Regional host for the first time in school history. Otterbein set a new single-game attendance record during the NCAA first-round win over Cabrini, playing in front of 1,117 fans and taking another memorable step towards success on a national scale.

Sterett finished as the OAC’s leader in kills (418) and kills per set (3.91) while adding 267 digs, 38 total blocks, 28 service aces and earning NCAA All-Tournament Team honors at the Westerville Regional.

She was even more impressive as a senior in 2018, helping guide the Cards go 21-9 overall and repeat with a share of the OAC regular-season title, She was voted the league's Player of the Year, becoming just the second in program history to earn the status, after leading the conference and ranking top-15 nationally with 4.11 kills per set. She blasted 432 overall from start to finish, also contributing 275 digs defensively and 28 aces in the serve game.

Sterett had a whopping 31 kills as a senior against Tufts, the second-most ever in a match for Otterbein, and ended her four-year college stretch with 962 kills (112 at Wright State and 850 for Otterbein). She also performed well in the classroom, earning Academic All-District honors as a Communications major before going on to pursue a coaching career.