The Oglethorpe volleyball team opened its new season with a doubleheader split in Lookout Mountain, Ga., Saturday, defeating Wesleyan, 3-1, after dropping a heartbreaker to host Covenant, 3-1.

In the first set against Wesleyan, the Stormy Petrels got off to a big lead and never looked back, going up 13-5 and 20-9 before cruising to a 25-11 victory. Wesleyan did not win back-to-back points at any time in the set.

Wesleyan came back in the second, though, going on runs of 7-1 and 6-1, tying the match at a set apiece with the 25-17 victory.

From there, however, Oglethorpe took control of the match. After falling behind 2-0 in the third set, the Petrels went on a huge 19-8 run. From there, they closed out the set in relatively short order, winning it 25-16.

The Petrels then closed out the match with a torrid fourth set. With the set tied 8-8, Oglethorpe set off on a 9-1 run that essentially put the match away. Wesleyan went on a 5-1 run of their own to pull back to within four, but the Petrels cruised from there, taking the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.

For the Petrels, Anna Marie DiSalvo did it all. She recorded 30 assists acting as the team's setter, and also pulled 14 digs, leading the team in that category. She managed seven kills of her own, as well. All-SAA outside hitter McKenna Bondarenko led the team with 14 kills of her own. She wound up with a .344 kill average. Meanwhile, freshman Rebekah Welborn played well on the first day of her career, recording seven kills and eight digs.

The victory in the second match took some of the sting off the first match of the day. Oglethorpe had a 2-0 lead on Covenant, needing only to take one of the final three sets. They were unable to hold on, however, losing the final three sets to drop the match, 3-2.

In the first set, the Petrels were behind 23-22, but took the final three points to take the set, 25-22. Then in the second set, Oglethorpe outscored the hosts 5-2 after the set was tied, 20-20. They took the second set, 25-22, as well.

However, the Petrels had something similar happen to them in the third, losing five out of the last six points after a 20-20 tie. Then in the fourth set, they were behind 24-18. They were able to win three straight points to pull to within three, 24-21. But Covenant won the next point to set up the fifth and decisive set.

In the fifth set, Covenant led 6-5, but slowly pulled away from there. They took the set, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.

In the Covenant match, DiSalvo led the team with 30 assists, defending SAA Defensive Player of the Year libero Megan Makuck led with 26 digs, and Erin Shelton led with 14 kills.

The 1-1 Petrels will face a similar schedule next weekend. This time, they will travel to Demorest, Ga., where they will take on Piedmont in the first match of a doubleheader and finish their afternoon against Brewton Parker in the second.