The Oglethorpe volleyball team fell in its final game of the regular season Tuesday night, as they were defeated by home-standing Covenant, 3-1. The Stormy Petrels took an early 1-0 lead, but fell in three straight sets after that. Covenant took the match 19-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-23.

The Petrels got a team-high 20 digs from senior libero Megan Makuck while garnering 16 digs from senior outside hitter McKenna Bondarenko and 12 from senior outside hitter Anna Marie DiSalvo. In addition, the Petrels got 19 assists from freshman setter Katie Stewart and two block assists apiece from freshman middle blocker Kaitlyn Woodruff and Bondarenko.

Things went well for the visiting side in the first set. They used a 7-0 run to take an 11-4 lead early on. They saw the Scots come back with a 7-3 run of their own to pull to within two, 14-12, but they then answered with another big run. A 9-2 spurt gave Oglethorpe complete control of the set, 23-14. Covenant rallied again, going on a 5-1 run and holding off two set points, but all the Petrels needed was one point. They got it for the 25-19 victory in the first set.

The two teams traded points back and forth to begin the second stanza. With the Petrels up 5-4, however, Covenant started a big run. They ran off the next six points to take a 10-5 lead in the set. After another period of trading points, the Petrels won three straight to cut the Covenant lead to three, 16-13. However, the Scots ran off eight straight and nine of the next 10 to easily take the second set, 25-14.

In the third, things started off poorly for the Petrels and they never could quite recover. Covenant ran out to a 16-4 lead before Oglethorpe could put back-to-back points together. However, the Petrels got right back in it with runs of seven and three straight points, cutting the lead to five and then four, 20-16. Covenant put the visitors in trouble with four straight points from there, though, going ahead 24-16 and eventually holding on for a 25-18 victory.

The Petrels fought valiantly in the fourth and final set. They came back from an early deficit with a 5-1 run, taking an 8-5 lead. They maintained that three-point spread until later in the set, 11-8, when Covenant made their move. The Scots went on a 10-2 run and took an 18-13 lead, looking to close out the match. The Petrels rallied again, though, as they came back with a huge 8-2 run to re-take the lead, 22-21. After the two teams traded points, Oglethorpe had a 23-22 advantage, but they wouldn't win another point. The Scots ran off three straight to take the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-1.

"I thought we played well despite having a week off beforehand. We were well-rested," said Head Coach Richie Tang. "We controlled the first set very well and eventually won it. I think the major difference in the other sets was the fact that we weren't able to break very many large runs. Covenant was and that was the difference in the match."

The team now finishes the regular season with a 15-17 record. They'll get set to travel to Conway, Ark., this weekend for the SAA Tournament, hosted on the campus of Hendrix College. As the conference's No. 7 seed, the Petrels will take on No. 2 seed Millsaps Friday in the SAA quarterfinals. The match will get started at 2 p.m. Eastern time. The Majors are 2-0 against the Stormy Petrels thus far this season.