The Oglethorpe volleyball team faced a difficult matchup in their home opener Wednesday night at Dorough Field House, as they went against a Berry team that received votes in the preseason coaches' poll. The Stormy Petrels were competitive in all three sets, but fell 3-0 in the end. The result dropped the team to 5-4 on the young season, 0-1 in SAA play.

The Petrels fell 25-16, 25-19, 25-20 in the match. They did record eight total blocks as a team, but were unable to get much going offensively, coming up with 20 kills for the match. 

In the first set, the Petrels and Vikings went back and forth for awhile. The score was tied 6-6 when Berry slowly started to pull into the lead. They built a 14-10 advantage, though Oglethorpe responded with three straight points to make it 14-13. The Vikings again pushed the lead out, though, with a run that the Petrels would never really stop. The visitors finished the set on an 11-3 run to take it 25-16.

The second set began in much the same manner as the first, with a back-and-forth opening followed by a point where Berry started to take control. With the score 7-6 in favor of the Vikings early, they used four straight points to make it 11-6. The two squads traded three-point runs, but then Berry took control of the set. They used a 7-1 run to push out to a 21-12 advantage late in the stanza. The Petrels responded with a run of their own, going on a 6-1 spurt to cut the Berry lead to 22-18. However, the Vikings won three of the final four points and took the set, 25-19.

The Petrels scored the first couple points of the third, but Berry responded with five straight of their own to take a 5-2 lead. Oglethorpe used a 4-point run to take a 10-8 advantage, and the two sides began to trade points for much of the middle section of the set. The Petrels held a 19-18 lead late, but Berry responded with a 7-1 run to close the set, winning it 25-20.

Junior middle hitter Kaitlyn Woodruff led the Petrels with six kills, while freshman setter Brianna Hernandez recorded a team-high 10 assists. Sophomore libero Anna Rash put in a game-high 16 digs. Sophomore middle hitter Halli Nelson recorded three total blocks, with one solo and four assisted. Woodruff added two, assisting on four.

"I thought we played pretty much neck-and-neck with them through the first 30 points or so," said Oglethorpe head coach Richie Tang. "Unfortunately, they made a mini-run in the first set and we couldn't overcome it. As we progressed through the match, we got more comfortable with our system of play, but Berry won with another mini-run in the second. Berry is one of the best teams in the SAA, and also one of the top 40 in the nation, so this was a measuring stick to see where we stood. We still need some work, but there are certainly some positive items that we can build on as we go forward, as well."

The Petrels will next be in action over the weekend, as they take their first SAA road trip of the young season. They'll travel to Conway, Arkansas, on Saturday to take on No. 20 Hendrix at 1 p.m. Eastern. After that, they'll continue to Memphis, Tennessee, for a match with Rhodes at 1 p.m. Eastern time Sunday.