It was a tough day for the Oglethorpe volleyball team on Friday, as they were swept by No. 25 Hendrix and Texas Lutheran in a tri-match at Dorough Field House. The results dropped the Stormy Petrels to 8-15 on the season overall and 2-9 in SAA play.

The first match of the day featured an SAA tilt between the Petrels and nationally-ranked Hendrix. The visiting Warriors got off to a good start. The two teams traded points for periods of the set, but Oglethorpe did not accrue back-to-back points until after Hendrix was up 22-9. The home side went on a 5-2 run after that, but the Warriors were able to close the set 25-14. 

The Petrels came back with a better start in the second stanza. They traded points with Hendrix through the early part of the set, then went on a run of 4-1 to build a 12-9 advantage. The Warriors came back with nine straight points of their own to make the score 18-12, though. A 4-1 Oglethorpe run pushed them to within 19-16, but Hendrix responded again with a 5-1 stretch that got them to set point, 24-17. They eventually put it away, 25-18.

In the third set, Hendrix had a 6-4 lead early, then extended that to 12-5 with a 6-0 run. The Petrels responded with a 5-1 stretch of their own to make it 13-10 and the two teams traded 3-0 runs, making the score 16-13. Five straight Warrior points gave them control of the set, though, putting them in a 21-13 advantage. Oglethorpe responded with another 3-point run and then traded points with Hendrix for a time, but the visitors finished it off, 25-19, winning the match 3-0.

For the match, junior setter Jordan Jones led the way with 15 assists and sophomore middle hitter Ashlee Tolbert collected seven kills and accrued a .316 hitting percentage.

Unfortunately, the Petrels couldn't get much going in the night cap against Texas Lutheran, either. The visiting Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set, then extended that to 16-5 after a 10-2 run. Oglethorpe scored four times in a row to bring the score back to 18-11, but Texas Lutheran finished on a 7-0 run to win the set, 25-11.

The Petrels began the second set in better fashion, taking a 6-1 lead. However, the Bulldogs came back from that with a 19-4 run, turning the set around and extending their lead to 20-10. Oglethorpe scored three of the next four points to bring it back to 21-13, but Texas Lutheran finished on a 4-0 run to take the set, 25-13. 

The Bulldogs picked up in the third set where they left off in the second. They jumped out to an 8-2 advantage early in the set and, after a Petrel mini-run made it 9-5, extended their advantage to 14-7 with a 4-1 run. The sides traded points for a brief period, making it 17-11 in favor of the Bulldogs, but the visitors put it away late with a 6-1 run which made it 23-12. Texas Lutheran eventually closed it out 25-14.

Jones had 10 assists and seven digs for the Petrels against Texas Lutheran while freshman defensive specialist Taryn North recorded 12 digs and two service aces.

"Our offense had a tough time getting going in both matches tonight," said Oglethorpe head coach Richie Tang. "We always talk about our defense being good enough so that the offense can produce.  We also threw away too many opportunities to challenge our opponents and we have to be better about those unforced errors. It was good to play Texas Lutheran. They're a good team, and they certainly came out and hit us hard in all three sets.  They are battle tested, having to play in the tough SCAC with two of the current top 10 and three of the current top 20 teams in the country. We just need to continue to work to get good reps in and continue trying to get our roster back to full health."

The Petrels will be back in action at Dorough Field House on Saturday, when they welcome SAA rival Rhodes and in-state, non-conference opponent Covenant to campus for a tri-match on the Blacktop. The Petrels will take on the Lynx at 1 p.m. and the Scots at 5 p.m. Rhodes and Covenant will go against each other at 3 p.m.