ROME, Ga.—Kills by Kinsey Wilson and Ta'Korya Green late in the fifth set helped Oglethorpe erase two match points and earn a match point of its own, but No. 15 Berry won the last three points and defeated the Stormy Petrels Wednesday night in a nail-biting final sequence.

Berry won the Southern Athletic Association contest 25-12, 24-26, 25-18, 23-25, 17-15.

Oglethorpe trailed 14-12 in the final set before running off three straight points to take the lead and earn a match point over the nationally-ranked Vikings. The 3-0 run featured a couple of huge digs to keep the match alive, including one from Sophia St. Clair that looked to be down for the final point. Gabbi Phillips had another dig moments later on the same point, keeping it alive immediately before Green earned a kill to tie the match at 14-14.

A Berry error later and Oglethorpe had a chance to knock off the SAA preseason favorite, but Berry would secure the next three points to win the match.

Match facts and tallies

Ellie Alfonso and Jackie Schner led the Stormy Petrels with 12 kills apiece, both registering a double-double with 13 digs and 11 digs, respectively. Phillips ended the match with 26 assists and 17 digs, and Kylee Zimmer posted 19 digs.

The Petrels again put forth a tremendous effort on the defensive end at the net with 26 assisted blocks and two solo blocks. One of those solo blocks came in set five when Wilson denied the Vikings with a block in the middle at 13-10.

Oglethorpe fought hard in the face of every adversity, answering a slow start with a resilient 26-24 win in game two, then fighting back to force a fifth set with a 25-23 win in game four. It was 17-12, Berry, in the fourth, with the Vikings looking to take a relatively quick victory, until a 6-0 run featuring two kills from Schner swung the momentum back to the Petrels as they forced the fifth.

Next up

Oglethorpe continues its current six-match road swing with trips to Millsaps and Birmingham Southern this weekend. The team will return home on Wednesday, Oct. 20, against Covenant.