JACKSON, Miss – The Millsaps volleyball team split a pair of matches during Homecoming Weekend in the Hangar Dome. On Friday, the Majors fell 3-0 to No. 15 Berry, but responded with a 3-2 triumph on Saturday. Senior middle hitter
Alyssa Jolly had an outstanding game on Saturday, posting a career-high 28 kills.
Match 1: Berry 3, Millsaps 0 (Friday)
No. 15 Berry (14-1, 8-1 SAA) was too tough for Millsaps (7-8, 2-6 SAA) on Friday night. The Vikings bested the Majors in three sets, 25-16, 25-21, 25-17.
Jolly tallied her seventh consecutive double-digit kill match with 10, while adding seven digs.
Junior setter
Mary Tebbe touted 21 assists while junior libero
Hannah Mattke gathered 10 digs and two aces.
Up 11-10 in the first set, Berry used a 9-3 run to separate from the Majors on their way to a 25-16 win.
In the second set, there were seven ties and three lead changes. Both teams were neck and neck, leading to a 20-20 tie late in the set. A 3-0 run would help give the Vikings the needed breathing room en route to a 25-21 set victory and a 2-0 match advantage.
With Berry winning 10-8 in set three, they would effectively put the set out of reach with an 7-1 run. Trying to fight their way back into the set, an ace by freshman outside hitter
Anna Capezzera would cap off a 4-0 run for the Majors, cutting the deficit to 23-17. Berry would then claim the match victory in a 25-17 win with a pair of kills.
Match 2: Millsaps 3, Oglethorpe 2 (Saturday)
Millsaps (8-8, 3-6 SAA) responded Saturday afternoon with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Oglethorpe (6-12, 1-8 SAA), 25-22, 25-21,16-25, 23-25, 15-11.
Jolly was unstoppable with a career-high 28 kills, making it the eighth straight she reached double digits, while adding 17 digs and six blocks.
Mattke totaled a season-high 36 digs, just one off her career best. Sophomore outside hitter
Brenna Macaluso added 12 kills of her own.
Tebbe was superb setting up her teammates all game with 49 assists, tallying three blocks and 13 digs.
The Majors raced out to a 7-3 lead in the first set. Oglethorpe answered with a run of their own to cut the lead to 11-10. Later in the set with Millsaps up 20-19, a kill by Capazzera capped off a 4-0 run to help the Majors take the first set, 25-22.
Set two saw both teams tie 14 times and exchange the lead on six occasions. Down 21-20 late in the first set, a Jolly kill surged the Majors to a 25-21 victory.
Facing elimination, Oglethorpe jumped out to 17-9 lead and would cruise to a 25-16 win in the third set.
With 14 ties, four lead changes and the score tied at 21-21, the fourth set was strikingly similar to the second set. The Stormy Petrels would ultimately tie the series up with a 25-23 win to send the match to a fifth and final set.
With both teams tied at nine, a final kill by Jolly would cap off an exciting match and push the Majors to a 15-11 victory.
The Majors will next host Birmingham-Southern on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The contest is set for a 6 p.m. start with live video and live stats available at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps volleyball program, follow the Majors on Twitter and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
