ATLANTA - Over the weekend, Oglethorpe held their home and Southern Athletic Association openers, taking on three tough SAA opponents. The Stormy Petrels fell to Millsaps and Southwestern on Saturday, then Sewanee on Sunday.
Match one - Millsaps
Oglethorpe fell 3-2 after one of the closest games of the weekend. Gracie Sims made 11 kills. Ella Hughes recorded season highs of 10 kills and five blocks while Autumn Lilly made 10 digs, a season high of four aces, and 37 assists. Abby Wheeler made 18 digs.
The Majors earned the first point of the game, but Camdyn George responded with back-to-back kills. The first set was evenly matched, with Millsaps and Oglethorpe constantly swapping the lead. The Majors would get two kills, Stephens or Sims would make two. The Majors got lucky on an error, Lilly would serve an ace.
The Majors finally seemed poised to take the win at a 24-20 lead, but George kicked off a major un with another kill. Madison Williams followed with another kill, then three Millsaps errors plus an ace by Wheeler gave the Petrels an impressive 26-24 win.
The second set played out in a similar fashion and was just as tight at the end. Oglethorpe and Millsaps were tied 23-23 when the Majors made two kills to tie up the match.
Millsaps started set three with a 4-0 lead, but that soon vanished and Oglethorpe took a 25-19 win. However, the tables were turned in the fourth set as Millsaps claimed a 25-14 win.
The deciding fifth set opened well for the Petrels, including an ace by Lilly, but ultimately was not in Oglethorpe's favor. The Stormy Petrels fell 15-9 for the 3-2 loss in their home/conference opener.
Match two - Southwestern
Stephens made 13 kills, Lilly had 26 assists, and Sims made nine digs.
The Pirates dominated the first set, stunning the Petrels at 25-8. Oglethorpe recovered a bit in the second set but still fell short at 25-19. Lilly opened the third set with two aces and Oglethorpe mustered several kills, but it was not enough. Oglethorpe fell 25-18 for the sharp 3-0 match loss. This was the first time Oglethorpe has faced Southwestern since 2011.
Southwestern is receiving votes in the latest NCAA top-25 poll.
Match three - Sewanee
Stephens made 14 kills and George followed with 10. Lilly made 33 assists and Wheeler had 13 digs.
The Tigers struggled for dominance in the first set, receiving major opposition from the Petrels. Despite the energy, Oglethorpe fell 25-22.
All three sets were close, but set two was the closest by far. Oglethorpe was the first to reach set point, a win in sight, until Sewanee made a kill and an ace for their own set point. An error tied things up at 25-25, but the Tigers made two more kills for the win.
The Petrels battled until the very end of the third set, but could not make enough kills and lost 25-22, 3-0 for the game. Overall, Sewanee's stats were not drastically better, only recording one more ace and dig than the Petrels. Oglethorpe made 35 kills against Sewanee's 42, and the Petrels earned 46 points against just 55.
Oglethorpe also hosted neutral games for the three opponents to face each other.
Up Next
Berry will host the next SAA round-robin, with Oglethorpe facing No. 16 Trinity on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 10:30 a.m. then Centre at 6:30 p.m. The Petrels will also face Rhodes the following Sunday at 1 p.m. The next home match will be Friday, Oct. 3, at 4 p.m. against Emory.
