The Oglethorpe volleyball team earned a 3-0 victory over the No. 21 Hendrix Warriors Sunday afternoon in Conway, Arkansas, marking the first victory over a ranked opponent in the modern era of the program. The win came as part of a two-match split with Hendrix, who took the first match of the day from the Stormy Petrels 3-1. The results moved Oglethorpe to 4-4 on the season.

After falling in a tightly-contested match in the opener, the Petrels responded with an outstanding performance in their second match, sweeping the nationally-ranked Warriors in straight sets 25-22, 25-18, 25-22. Hendrix took a 14-8 lead early in the first set, but the visitors stormed back into it with a monster 14-4 run. That allowed them to vault into a 23-19 lead and gave them a chance to take the opening set. Hendrix scored three straight to make it 23-22, but the Petrels finished it off with consecutive points to take the first set 25-22. 

The teams went back and forth early in the second set, with the score tied 9-9. but the Petrels pushed out to a 15-10 lead with a 6-1 run. The teams traded points for awhile but that suited the Petrels, who led 21-15 after that stretch. After a couple Hendrix points, Oglethorpe finished on a 4-1 run to take the second set 25-18. 

Oglethorpe used a 5-0 run to build a 10-7 advantage early on in the fifth set. The Warriors fought back with four straight of their own to briefly push to a 12-11 lead, but five straight Oglethorpe points gave the visitors a 16-12 advantage. Hendrix used an 8-3 push to take the lead back, 20-19, but the Petrels responded with four straight of their own to put themselves on the verge of a victory, up 23-20. The Petrels eventually put it away 25-22.

Senior middle hitter Ta'Korya Green led the Petrels with 10 kills and three blocks, while freshman utility player Kinsey Wilson added seven kills and three blocks. Junior setter Emma Williams added 36 assists and 10 digs while freshman defensive specialist Sofia Cendoya led the squad with 23 digs. Freshman outside hitter Ellie Alfonso added 16 digs and nine kills.

The Petrels played well in a losing effort in the first match of the day, pushing the Warriors in all four sets before eventually falling 25-23, 26-24, 15-25, 25-22. The Petrels pushed out to a 9-4 lead early in the first set, but Hendrix came back with a 6-2 run to pull to within a point at 11-10. The Petrels scored four of the next five points to make it 15-11, but Hendrix later came back with three straight to pull back to within a point, 17-16. The Petrels led 23-20 late, but Hendrix rolled off five straight to take the set 25-23. 

Oglethorpe led early in the second set, as well, pushing out to as much as a 14-7 advantage. A 5-0 Hendrix run was followed by a 5-0 Oglethorpe run, and the Petrels led 19-12 late in the set. Another five-point Hendrix run got them back in it, though. Oglethorpe led 23-19 late in the set, but Hendrix responded with a 7-1 run to finish with a 26-24 win.

The Petrels dominated the third set, building a 22-10 lead before cruising to a 25-15 win to stave off elimination. The Petrels started with a 6-0 edge in the fourth set, as well. They pushed their advantage to as much as 11-4 before Hendrix began a comeback that would pull them to within a couple points, 14-12. The Petrels led 18-14 late, but the home side embarked on an 8-1 run to flip into a 22-19 advantage. They went on to put the Petrels away 25-22.

Alonso led the Petrels with 16 kills and 16 digs in the match, while sophomore outside hitter Jackie Schner added 11 kills and 15 digs. Green recorded 13 kills and four blocks, Williams posted 41 assists, and Cendoya pulled 24 digs.

The Petrels take a week off now before getting back to action from Dorough Field House Saturday, April 3. They'll take on Millsaps in their final home doubleheader of the season.