The Oglethorpe volleyball team played a tight match in Danville, Kentucky, against SAA opponent Centre Sunday, but fell 3-0 in the end to fall to 2-11 on the season overall and 0-5 in SAA play. The match was closer than that final score indicated, however, with all three sets decided by four points or less.

The opening set began with the Petrels jumping into a 4-2 lead, but the homestanding Colonels responded with four straight to take a two-point lead of their own. The teams traded points for awhile, but the Petrels slowly worked their way back to even and eventually took an 18-17 lead. The score was tied 20-20 later on but Centre embarked on a four-point run to take a 24-20 lead and control of the set with it. The Petrels staved off one set point but Centre eventually finished it off 25-21.

In the second, Centre went on an early run to take a 6-3 advantage after a brief early Oglethorpe lead. The Petrels answered by taking four of the next five points, however, and tied the score 7-7. The teams traded points for a period after that, but Centre slowly pushed out to a 17-12 advantage in the set. The Petrels responded, though, running off five consecutive points to tie the score at 17-apiece. After consecutive Centre points, Oglethorpe went on a three-point run to retake the lead, 20-19. The Colonels would push their way to a 23-21 lead, but the Petrels again came back with back-to-back points to tie the score. However, Centre finished off the set, 25-23, with two straight points to end the set.

The Petrels were then behind the eight-ball, needing to win three straight sets to win the match. Centre got off to a good start in the third set, pushing to an 8-4 lead. The Petrels came back with three consecutive points and made the score 8-7, but Centre then embarked on a 7-1 run to build a commanding 15-8 lead. Oglethorpe bounced back with a 9-4 stretch of their own, cutting the Centre lead to 19-17, but the Colonels came back with a 5-1 spurt to push to match points, 24-18. The Petrels staved it off briefly, winning three consecutive points, but Centre was able to finish things off with a 25-21 third-set victory.

The Petrels did get some solid individual performances over the course of the match. Freshman setter Hannah Masiongale dished out 26 assists and picked up eight digs. Freshman outside hitter MaryAnn Smith finished off a team-high eight kills while freshman defensive specialist Savannah Grove led the squad with nine digs.

"Our passing improved this weekend and we allowed our offense a chance to swing," said Head Coach Richie Tang. "We were point-for-point with Centre in all three sets we played today and it was a matter of being a few balls better to have the sets swing in our favor. I'm proud of the way we keep fighting and improving. We're looking forward to finally playing at home this weekend!"

Before the Petrels return home, they'll travel across town to Decatur, Georgia, to take on Agnes Scott and No. 4 Emory on Wednesday evening. They'll take on the Scotties at 4 p.m. and the Eagles at 6 p.m. Over the weekend, they welcome Rhodes and Hendrix to Dorough Field House for the start of their SAA home slate.