The Oglethorpe volleyball team went up 2-0 on Sewanee Sunday in Sewanee, Tenn., looking for their third SAA win of the season. Unfortunately, they couldn't hold the lead, and Sewanee won the final three sets for a 3-2 victory over the Stormy Petrels.

The Petrels got a variety of solid performances, including 22 kills and 17 digs from senior outside hitter McKenna Bondarenko, 15 kills and 10 digs from senior outside hitter Anna Marie DiSalvo, 45 assists and 19 digs from freshman setter Katie Stewart, and a team-high 31 digs from senior libero Megan Makuck. However, it turned out not to be enough to pull out a victory. The homestanding Tigers won 23-25, 24-26, 25-19, 25-14, 15-13.

The Petrels pulled off big comebacks in the first couple of sets. In the first set, they trailed by as many as seven, finding themselves down 16-9 at one point. They began their comeback there, rolling off four straight points to quickly cut the margin to three, 16-13. The Tigers pushed it back out to five, though, 21-16, when the Petrels started a 9-2 run to end the set. After Sewanee made it 23-20, the Petrels answered with five straight points to end the set, winning 25-23. 

In the second, the Petrels fell behind, 7-3, but quickly rallied to take a 10-9 lead. The Tigers answered back, though, and led by as many as five points, 18-13. The Petrels slowly began to cut into the lead, but Sewanee again led 23-20, just as they had in the first set. Also just like in the first set, the Petrels blitzed the Tigers from there. They ran off four straight points to take a 24-23 lead and earn a set point. Sewanee tied it, 24-24, but Oglethorpe won the final two points of the set to take the stanza, 26-24, and take a 2-0 lead.

In the third, Oglethorpe had the advantage well into the set. They kept Sewanee at arm's length for much of it, holding a 17-14 lead and looking to close out the match. The Tigers reeled off three straight to tie it up, but Oglethorpe re-took an 18-17 lead. It was the last lead they'd have in the set. Sewanee outscored them 8-1 the rest of the way, culminating an 11-2 run, to take the set, 25-19.

The Petrels held a lead in the fourth, as well, building an early 9-7 advantage. However, Sewanee won 11 points in a row to take an 18-9 lead. The Tigers cruised from there, winning the set, 25-14. 

That led to the decisive fifth set. Sewanee took an early 9-5 lead, but the Petrels looked to have turned the set around. They ran off six straight and led, 12-10. A couple of points traded back-and-forth made it 13-11 in favor of the Petrels. They wouldn't win another point, though. The Tigers closed out the set and the match with four straight points and took the comeback win, 15-13. 

After the difficult loss, the Petrels fall to an even 13-13 on the season, 2-8 in SAA play. They'll return to Dorough Field House next weekend for three matches. They'll take on Hendrix, who's currently tied for first in the league, in a single match at noon on Saturday. It'll be the culmination of the Petrels' Dig Pink initiative for breast-cancer awareness. Then on Sunday, it'll be Senior Day for the Stormy Petrels. They'll take on Rhodes at 1 p.m. before turning around and facing off against Fisk at 5 p.m.