The Oglethorpe volleyball team came into Day 2 of the Stormy Petrel Challenge with a 2-0 record after victories over Wesleyan (Georgia) and Brewton-Parker on Friday, but Saturday proved to be tougher for the Stormy Petrels. They fell in straight sets to Benedictine (Illinois) and LaGrange to fall to 2-2 on the season.

The Petrels were competitive for much of the afternoon, however, falling by a double-digit margin in just one of the six sets they played. Against Benedictine, who exits as the only team to go a perfect 3-0 over the course of the Stormy Petrel Challenge, Oglethorpe was very competitive in the first two sets. After the visiting Eagles went ahead 9-5 in the early-going, the Petrels ran off four straight points to tie it up, 9-9. The Petrels kept it close as they trailed just 17-13 later on in the set. Benedictine went on a run from there, though, closing out the stanza with an 8-3 run to take it, 25-16. 

In the second, Benedictine jumped out to a huge advantage, leading by as much as 23-14 late in the set. The Petrels stormed back, though, with an 8-1 run that cut the Eagles' advantage to just two points, 24-22. Oglethorpe staved off three Benedictine set points in the process. However, the Eagles finally were able to get the point that they needed to secure the set, 25-22. They were then able to close the home side out, 25-12, in the third and final set. 

For the match, freshman outside hitter MaryAnn Smith led the team with six kills. Sophomore middle hitter Kaitlyn Woodruff had three while freshman setter Hannah Masiongale dished out 15 assists.

Later in the day, the Petrels took on in-state opponent LaGrange in the final match of the two-day event. Despite the 3-0 final scoreline, it was a highly competitive affair. The visiting Panthers took the first set 25-23, but the Petrels rallied from a deficit of 16-10 to pull within range at one point. They came back with six straight points to tie it up 16-16, then again rallied to stave off set point twice after being down 24-20. The Panthers eventually closed the set out, though.

In the second set, the Petrels staged another big comeback, this one after a 16-8 deficit, to take the lead. They embarked on a 16-6 run to build a 24-22 edge and give themselves a chance at set point. LaGrange rallied, though, winning four straight points to steal the set, 26-24.

The third set was even early on with the score tied 9-9. However, a 10-3 run by the Panthers put them ahead for good, 19-12. They held on to win the set 25-17 and close out the match.

Smith, Woodruff and Masiongale also played well in this match and all three earned spots on the All-Stormy Petrel Challenge squad for their efforts over the course of the weekend. Smith finished the LaGrange match with seven kills while Woodruff led the team with nine. Masiongale passed out an impressive 32 assists for the match. 

"We have a young team, so we wanted them to get some experience in a variety of situations this weekend," said Head Coach Richie Tang. "I thought they handled the weekend well and continued to fight hard, even when things were not going our way. With a little more experience, we'll get through some of the situations that tripped us up at points today. Overall, we were very competitive over the weekend. I'll be looking forward to seeing how we do at another tournament next weekend with a step up in competition. It'll also be the first road trip for the vast majority of our players. I'm excited to see how they respond."

The Petrels take part in the Greensboro College Volleyball Invitational next weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina. While there, they'll take on hosts Greensboro, Emory and Henry, Swarthmore, and West Virginia Wesleyan over the course of the two-day event on Saturday and Sunday. They'll next play at home on Oct. 3, when they'll host a tri-match against SAA opponent Rhodes and non-conference foe Rust.