The Oglethorpe volleyball team saw themselves eliminated from SAA Championship contention Friday evening with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-10, 26-24) defeat at the hands of top-seeded tournament host Berry in Mount Berry, Ga.

The Petrels fell behind big early, as the home-standing Vikings ran off an 18-5 first-set run to take a 19-8 lead. Then, after winning back-to-back points, the Petrels again saw the Vikings go on a big run, this one 6-1, to close out the set, 25-11.

The second set saw more of the same for the Petrels. They fell behind 13-5 in the early-going, and after winning three-of-four points to cut the lead to 14-8, saw the Vikings again embark on a huge run. An 11-2 Berry spurt ended the set, 25-10.

The Petrels fought hard in the third set. Berry ran off a four-point spurt to take a 4-2 lead, then went on an 8-1 run to go up 13-6. However, Oglethorpe fought back to make the score 14-10, then put together a 6-1 run of their own to pull to within a point, 19-18. Berry ran off three straight to make it 22-18, but Oglethorpe answered right back with the same, making it 22-21. The Petrels staved off two match points at 24-22 to tie the score, but Berry won two straight points from there to take the set, 26-24, and the match with it.

Junior outside hitter McKenna Bondarenko led the team with 11 kills on the evening, while sophomore outside hitter Erin Shelton set the pace with 11 digs. Junior setter Anna Marie DiSalvo contributed 19 assists.

The 5-19 Petrels will play one more match this season, as they'll take on fifth-seeded Birmingham-Southern in the consolation round at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The Panthers were involved in the longest set in Division III history Friday evening, coming out on the wrong end of a 46-44 decision in the second set of their quarterfinal match with Millsaps.