The Oglethorpe volleyball team came back from a two-set deficit Sunday afternoon against the homestanding Rhodes Lynx in Memphis, Tennessee, to set up a decisive fifth set, but Rhodes won a very tight final set to take the match 3-2. With the loss, the Stormy Petrels fall to 5-20 on the season and 0-12 in SAA play.

Down 2-0 after falling 25-16 and 25-13 in the first two sets, the Petrels found themselves in a hole. They began to fight their way back in the third set, however, as they built a 10-3 lead before Rhodes went on an 11-3 run to briefly take the lead back, 14-13. The Petrels responded with a huge 10-1 run stretch to take a 23-15 lead and all but put the set away. They were able to do just that a few points later, staying alive with a 25-18 win in the third.

Oglethorpe then got off to another big start in the fourth set, beginning the stanza on a 6-1 stretch. The Lynx came back to make the score 10-8, but a five-point run put the Petrels back in control 15-8. Rhodes did not make it easy, running off a 6-1 spurt to make the score 17-15 in favor of the Petrels late in the set. However, it was all Oglethorpe from there for the remainder of the stanza. They finished on an 8-1 stretch to force a fifth and final set, 25-16.

The fifth set was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams going on potentially decisive runs with the match on the line. Down 3-2, the Lynx finished four consecutive points to take a 6-3 lead in the first-to-15 final set. Oglethorpe came back with a 5-1 run, though, taking an 8-7 lead. Rhodes took three of the next four points to push back into the lead, 10-9, but three straight points by the Petrels gave them a 12-10 advantage and put them within striking distance of finishing the match off. Four consecutive points gave the Lynx match point, though, 14-12. The Petrels staved off elimination twice to tie the score 14-14 and, after Rhodes took a 15-14 lead, staved off another one to tie it up again at 15-apiece. However, the Lynx won back-to-back points after that to finish off the set 17-15 and the match 3-2.

Freshman outside hitter MaryAnn Smith led the Petrels with 12 kills while freshman right-side hitter and sophomore middle hitter Kaitlyn Woodruff added 10 each. Freshman setter Hannah Masiongale passed out 28 assists while freshmen defensive specialists Savannah Grove and Anna Rash led the team with 19 digs apiece.

"I was proud of our effort today against Rhodes," said Head Coach Richie Tang. "The fight that we showed when down two sets says a lot about each and every one of our players. We really needed everyone to contribute with their support off the floor and both their performance and effort on the court to make that comeback. I was also impressed with our defense today, and our blocking in particular. It was tough to lose by two points in the fifth, but our players keep fighting even when the odds are against them."

The Petrels will return home on Tuesday to take on Maryville (Tennessee) in a non-conference contest at 6:30 p.m. before hosting Birmingham-Southern and Millsaps Saturday and Sunday, respectively, in the final two SAA matches of the season.