JACKSON, Miss. –? It was an electrifying day of volleyball inside the Hangar on Saturday, highlighted by a pair of Millsaps volleyball triumphs. The Majors earned identical 3-1 victories over LeTourneau and rival Belhaven to wrap up the two-day Millsaps/Belhaven Invitational inside the Hangar Dome.
Match One vs. LeTourneau (3-1)
Senior middle hitter Alyssa Jolly was unstoppable as she shattered her career-high kills mark with 19. The Majors bettered their foes from Texas with a 20-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-12, dominating performance.
LeTourneau (2-2) found the momentum early, edging out the Majors in the first set. Millsaps (2-2 after both matches) blitzed the Yellowjackets in the start of the second set for a 5-1 lead. LeTourneau would return the favor to take the lead later in the set at 17-16. Millsaps would once again show resiliency with a 9-3 run to finish off LeTourneau in the second set.
Riding high on a huge wave of momentum, the Majors would not allow their opponent to score more than 15 points in a set and took total control in the third and fourth sets.
Along with a career-best kills, Jolly added 12 digs, two aces and an assist. Sophomore outside hitter Brenna Macaluso powered home 12 kills to go along with three aces.
Freshman outside hitter Anna Capezzera was lethal from the service line, tallying a staggering nine aces. Junior setter Mary Tebbe was a key facilitator, dishing out 35 assists.
Match Two vs. Belhaven (3-1)
The momentum continued into the afternoon as the Majors snuffed out the Blazers (1-4) with a 25-16, 25-23, 15-25, 25-19 decision.
Millsaps appeared to not have missed a beat from their domination in game one. Tied 7-7 in the first set with their crosstown foes, the Majors gained separation to gain a 20-13 lead in front of a lively crowd.
Inserting their dominance, the Majors marched to a 20-13 lead in set two. After a Blazers timeout, Belhaven stormed back to tie the set at 23 all. Seemingly unphased by the pressure, the Majors took a commanding 2-0 lead with a kill from Macaluso and ace from Capezzera for the final points of the set.
In the third set, the Blazers seemed to become more comfortable playing in their first game away from their home stadium. Using three runs of four or more, Belhaven claimed their first set win in the third.
With both teams competing hard in the critical fourth set, the rivals found themselves deadlock at 11. The Majors would capitalize on numerous unforced errors from the Blazers with an ace from Capezzera to finish the game.
Millsaps had a total of 13 aces in game two.
Jolly once again shined, leading Millsaps with five kills, seven digs and five aces.
Tebbe found herself in the right place at the right time with 27 assists and nine digs. Macaluso had a superb offensive game as she also reached double digit points (10) with seven kills, nine digs and three aces.
Junior right-side hitter Bre Reed led the Majors with eight kills.
The Majors will now look ahead to the Oglethorpe Tournament in Atlanta. Millsaps will face Piedmont University and LaGrange College on Friday and conclude with a matchup against Maryville College on Saturday.
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