ATLANTA—Oglethorpe earned a set point in all five sets on the way to pulling out a thrilling five-set win over Covenant Wednesday night in a nonconference volleyball match inside Dorough Field House. The Stormy Petrels used a total team effort to come back from down to sets and win 26-28, 26-28, 25-18, 25-17, 15-12.

The win was Oglethorpe's second straight, both coming in five sets after the Petrels upended Southern Athletic Association foe Rhodes Sunday in a similar down-two-sets comeback. This season Oglethorpe is 3-5 overall when going to a fifth set, and Wednesday's match marked avenged a five-set loss to Covenant earlier this season.

Match runs

Oglethorpe could have wrapped up their second straight win in three sets, leading Covenant 24-22 in the first and 24-23 in the second, but the Scots prevailed each time with a mini run near the end of the set. It was then in the third set that Oglethorpe started to swing the momentum back, and it started with a 3-0 run to start the set and a 5-1 run to end the set.

That cut Covenant's lead in half, and the Petrels would take set four thanks to a 4-0 early run and 4-1 late run.

With the marathon of a match on the line in the fifth, both teams came up big with several big kills and key plays resulting in a 9-9 tie. Oglethorpe then finished the match on a 6-3 run, including two points won on huge blocks from Ellie Alfonso/Kinsey Wilson and Emma Williams/Wilson. Gabbi Phillips also had a kill in that final stretch, and Alfonso closed the match with back-to-back kills on the final two points.

Monstrous numbers

Jackie Schner led the offensive effort with 20 kills alongside nine digs and three assisted blocks. Williams followed closely with 17 kills and only three errors for a .412 attack percentage. Alfonso came next in the kill column with 15 kills, and Ta'Korya Green had seven kills and only two errors.

Phillips led the assist column with 31 while Williams posted 22. Sophia Cendoya tallied 27 digs and six assists. Following Cendoya in digs were Alfonso (18), Williams (14) Legacy Guider (13) and Phillips (11). Wilson posted 10 assisted blocks and one solo block.

Up next

Oglethorpe finished the regular season this weekend when it hosts Sewanee and Centre Saturday and Sunday, both at 12 p.m. The SAA postseason tournament will then follow Friday-Sunday, Nov. 5-7.