The Oglethorpe volleyball team fell to top-seeded Hendrix 3-0 Friday afternoon in the SAA quarterfinals, dropping straight sets 25-11, 25-13, 25-19. With the loss, the Stormy Petrels end their season 7-25.

The eighth-seeded Petrels played the homestanding Warriors tight in the opening portion of the first set, falling behind by three points before coming back to tie the score 6-6, then staying close to Hendrix, who only led 12-10 midway through the set. However, it was at that point that Hendrix embarked on the run that would decide the set, pushing a 12-10 lead out in a big way and outscoring the Petrels 13-1 over the remainder of the stanza. The Petrels fell 15-13 in the opening set. 

The Warriors got off to a big start in the second. After the Petrels finished three consecutive points for a 3-3 scoreline, Hendrix embarked on a 14-3 run to make the score 18-7 later on in the set. The Petrels answered back with consecutive points to make it 18-9 and the two teams then traded four-point runs to make the score 22-13. From there, though, Hendrix finished it off with three straight for a 25-13 win.

The home side got off to a 6-0 start to begin the third set, then ran off five straight points after that to make it 14-4 and put the Petrels behind the 8-ball. Oglethorpe answered with a huge run of their own, though, and got right back into the thick of the set as a result. They went on a 13-5 spurt and cut the Hendrix lead to just two, 19-17. The two teams traded points for a brief period to make it 21-19, but the Warriors answered after that with a 4-0 run to close out the set 25-19 and the match 3-0.

Freshman outside hitter Anna Rash led the Petrels with six kills and 10 digs on the afternoon. She hit .312 in the process. Meanwhile, freshman setter Alette Duan led the squad with nine assists. Sophomore middle hitter Kaitlyn Woodruff and freshman defensive specialist Lexi Grams finished with a pair of block assists each.

"I thought we started the first game very well, but what hurt us was our missed service in a tight set," said Head Coach Richie Tang. "Hendrix then got into a groove and we couldn't recover from that point run, allowing them to close out the set. We really had to hit our locations better today, though. We didn't execute based on the scouting report all that well. We knew coming into today that, with a team like Hendrix, we needed out hitters to score. We had a really tough day offensively, though. I am proud of the effort the team put forth in the third set. We kept fighting and that's something we've done all season regardless of the situation."

The extremely young Petrels should be back and better than ever next season, with everyone returning off a talented but inexperienced squad. The year of experience should help the team moving into the 2016 season.

"Although our record isn't what we wanted this season, our program has a great core group that's supportive, competitive, and is a true team," said Tang. "They've been a pleasure to coach this season. It's important for our entire team to trust the process as we continue to move this program forward."