The Oglethorpe volleyball team took a 2-1 lead on the road Thursday night in Demorest, but the homestanding Piedmont Lions mounted a comeback over the final two sets to turn the tables and take the match, 3-2. The result dropped the Stormy Petrels to 3-17 on the season overall.

Down 1-0 after the first set and 14-7 in the second, the Petrels mounted a rally. They cut the Lions lead to 17-14 before the home side won two of the next three points to take a 20-15 lead. The Petrels began their big push at that point, though, running off nine consecutive points to completely turn the set on its head and take a 24-20 lead. Freshman outside hitter Jacoby Sims finished four of the nine points. Piedmont answered back with three consecutive points to make it 24-23, but Sims finished the set off an assist from senior setter Jordan Jones to give Oglethorpe a 25-23 win and tie the match at 1-1.

That momentum continued into the third set, as the Petrels led 10-6 after the early portion of the stanza. The Lions answered with a 7-2 run to take a lead of their own, 13-12, but Oglethorpe stabilized things with three consecutive points to push back out to a 16-14 edge. Consecutive points from the Lions tied the score at 16-16, but the Petrels went on another run from that point, running off four consecutive to take a 20-16 lead. The teams traded a series of two-point runs, giving Oglethorpe a 22-20 advantage, but a 4-1 Piedmont stretch brought them to within a single point, 23-22, late in the frame. However, Sims struck again, finishing back-to-back points to end the set, 25-22, and give the visitors a 2-1 edge in the match.

It turned out to be all Lions from there, though. The home side went on a 9-0 run early in the fourth set to build a 12-3 lead, then used separate runs of four and seven points to put the set away. They went on to win it 25-12 and force a decisive fifth set.

Oglethorpe never really got a foot hold in the fifth set, either. Piedmont ran off four straight points twice and had another run of three straight to take control in the shorter first-to-15 fifth set. In all, they went on a 14-4 run to give themselves match point at 14-5. The Petrels staved it off for a couple points, as Sims picked up two more kills to make the score 14-7. The Lions finished it from there, though, winning the fifth 15-7 and the match 3-2.

They got off to a good start in the first set, as well, as they slowly pushed out to an 18-13 lead. Oglethorpe responded with four in a row to make it 18-17, but they never got closer than a point. The Lions used a late 4-1 run to put the first set away, 25-22. It was a set they wound up needing as the Petrels took the next two.

Sims led all participants on the night, reeling off 23 kills, while also adding seven digs. Junior outside hitter Santreece Stephens added 12 kills of her own. Senior setter Jordan Jones had another good outing, leading all participants with 41 assists and adding 14 digs. Sophomore libero Taryn North led the Petrels with 19 digs, while freshman defensive specialist Hailee Bugg and sophomore defensive specialist Alex Prots added 13 digs each. Junior middle hitter Ashlee Tolbert led the Petrels with five total blocks, two of the solo variety. 

"I thought we played well for long stretches of this match," said Oglethorpe head coach Joseph Goodson. "We just ran out of gas at the end. It's unfortunate to suffer another difficult loss, but we've still got several matches left. I think we're all seeing positive signs with this group, and we just have to keep plugging away."

The Petrels will close out their home and conference schedules over the weekend. They'll welcome Sewanee to Dorough Field House Saturday at 1 p.m., then will host Centre at noon on Sunday. They'll celebrate Senior Day on Sunday, with middle hitter Kaitlyn Woodruff and setter Jordan Jones getting honored before the match for their Oglethorpe careers.