The Oglethorpe volleyball team got off to an excellent start Sunday afternoon in Memphis, Tennessee, as they pulled ahead of conference rival Rhodes 2-0 early in the match. However, the homestanding Lynx fought back and won three consecutive stanzas to turn the match around and take it 3-2. The loss dropped the Stormy Petrels to 5-6 on the season overall and 0-3 in SAA play.

After dropping the third and fourth sets, the Petrels fell behind early in the fifth set, as well. Rhodes jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the final stanza, but Oglethorpe fought back with an 8-3 run of their own, tying the score at 11-11. Three straight Rhodes points brought them to a match point opportunity, though, as they led 14-11. The Petrels scored back-to-back points of their own to pull back to within a point, 14-13, but Rhodes finished it on their final match point, winning the set 15-13. 

Oglethorpe was ahead 2-0 after two sets, but Rhodes began their comeback with a good start to the third. They jumped out to a 6-0 lead and later extended their advantage to 15-5. The Petrels stopped the Lynx run, but still trailed 20-9 late in the set. The visitors responded with a late run, though, going on separate runs of four and three points to cut the Rhodes lead down to 22-16. Back-to-back Rhodes points pushed them to set point, though, and they finished the set with a 25-18 victory, staying alive.

The Petrels got off to a better start in the fourth, building a 6-4 advantage early on. After Rhodes won three straight points to take the lead back, Oglethorpe again pushed their edge out to 12-8. The Lynx answered with a 9-2 run, though, pushing back into the lead and extending it to 17-14. The two teams traded points for a brief period, with the Petrels cutting the Rhodes advantage to 19-18, but the home side finished the set on a 6-0 run to take it 25-18 and force a decisive fifth set.

Oglethorpe got off to an excellent start in the match, building a 10-4 lead early in the first set. They saw the Lynx come back with a 7-2 run to cut their lead to 12-11, and then go on another run to vault into a 17-15 lead. However, the Petrels responded in kind with a 10-4 run to turn the set in their favor, 25-21.

The second set was the most competitive of the match. The Petrels jumped out to a 10-5 lead and then pushed that to 15-7, but Rhodes responded with a 6-1 run of their own to pull to within three, 16-13. The two teams traded points for awhile, which allowed Oglethorpe to build a 24-18 lead and obtain set point. The Lynx responded with seven straight points to tie the score, 25-25. However, Oglethorpe quickly answered back with consecutive points of their own, taking a 2-0 lead with a 27-25 win in the second set.

Junior middle hitter Kaitlyn Woodruff led the Petrels with 13 kills over the course of the match. She also accumulated five block assists and one solo block. Junior setter Jordan Jones and freshman setter Brianna Hernandez split the assists relatively evenly, as Jones accrued 18 and Hernandez 16. Sophomore libero Anna Rash led all performers with 29 digs and eight service aces for the match. 

"This was a tough loss for us," said Oglethorpe head coach Richie Tang. "When you're up two sets, you should find a way to finish the match. However, give Rhodes credit. They made it tough on us and they never quit. We'll look to bounce back next weekend."

The Petrels will return to Dorough Field House next weekend to take on Centre at 2 p.m. Saturday before welcoming Sewanee at 1 p.m. Sunday.