SHERMAN, Texas -- Millsaps volleyball kicked off their 2018 season in Sherman, Texas as the 23^rd Annual Austin College Classic. The Majors dropped their first match 1-3 against Hardin-Simmons University before taking the nightcap against Schreiner University 3-1.
 
Match One
 
The Majors lost in four sets to the Cowgirls Friday afternoon, falling 24-26, 18-25, 25-17 and 12-25.
 
Millsaps and HSU traded points in the first set before HSU pulled ahead with a 8-1 run to take a 13-8 lead. A kill by McKenzi Petricko and back-to-back Hardin-Simmons errors brought the Majors to within two, 13-11. The teams traded points back and forth again until a 5-0 Millsaps run put them ahead 20-19. HSU pushed ahead just to see Millsaps tie the set at 24, but unfortunately, an error and an HSU kill gave the Cowgirls the first set.
 
The second set saw HSU jump out to an early 6-1 lead and never relinquish it. Millsaps was able to bring the score within one at three different points in the match, but a 9-3 Hardin-Simmons run ended things and gave the Cowgirls a 2-0 lead.
 
The Majors flipped the script to start set three, going on their own 6-1 run to start. HSU was never able to recover, committing 15 errors in the set and allowing the Majors to get back into the match at 1-2.
 
Millsaps got down early in the fourth and final set, falling behind 5-1 before a Gracie Bellnap kill stopped the Cowgirls momentum. But after taking an 8-7 lead, the Majors saw HSU go on a 17-5 run to close out the match and deal Millsaps their first loss of the young season.
 
Millsaps was led by Erica Bennett who had 12 kills. Petricko and Morgan Vincent both added six.
 
Match Two
 
In the Majors' second match of the day, Millsaps came out on top after downing Schreiner University in four sets, 22-25, 25-19, 25-12 and 25-15.
 
Much like the first match for Millsaps, the two teams traded points back and forth in the first set. Schreiner pulled ahead late 17-15 but a Petricko kill and an Alyssa Jolly ace tied the match. Both teams exchanged points until the Lions won set one with a 4-2 run.
 
Millsaps jumped ahead early in the second set, using kills from Petricko, Bennett and Vincent to lead 8-1. After a Schreiner timeout, the Majors continued the onslaught with Vincent getting multiple kills and Jolly, Petricko and Magill Grunfeld giving Millsaps two huge blocks. SU tried to mount some offense, pulling within 19-22, but a kill by Petricko sandwiched between a pair of Vincent kills gave the Majors the set, 25-19.
 
The third set was all Majors as Millsaps used runs of 6-1, 5-2 and 10-2 to pull ahead in the match with a convincing 25-12 win.
 
The win-clinching set saw Millsaps jump ahead 5-1 with kills by Bennett and Vincent. Schreiner tried to climb back into the set, pulling to within a point, but the one-two punch of Vincent and Petricko was too much for the Lions to handle as the Majors took the final set, 25-15.
 
The Majors were led by Vincent's 19 kills while Bennett added 13 and Petricko chipped in 12. Bellnap led the team with 33 assists. Jolly led the defense with four blocks and Payton Passantino paced the team with 23 digs.
 
 
What's Next?
 
 The Majors are back in action for day two of the Austin College Classic on Saturday. They will take on the hosts, Austin College, in an 11:00 am match before finishing the tournament against Concordia University of Texas at 3:00 pm.