BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Millsaps volleyball team came out strong, but was unable to hold off nationally ranked Birmingham-Southern inside the Bill Battle Coliseum, Wednesday evening (25-20, 16-25, 12-25, 20-25).

Junior Brenna Macaluso posted her third double-double of the season with a team-high 10 kills to go along with 14 digs and four blocks. Senior Hannah Mattke totaled 18 digs and three service aces, while sophomore Zoe Elder tallied 33 assists. Classmate Anna Capezzera nearly reached double digits with nine kills.

Millsaps (6-12, 2-8 SAA) accumulated seven aces to BSC's five.
 
Tied at 4-4 in the opening set, a pair of Mattke service aces powered Millsaps to a 5-0 run. With the teams trading points, Macaluso found the floor with a nice touch attack, putting Millsaps ahead at 12-9.

BSC then used a 4-0 rally to make it 18-18, forcing the Majors to call a timeout. Down 20-19, a Capezzera kill sparked a 6-0 burst to close the set. Elder punctuated a 25-20 opening set win with two service aces.
 
No. 25 Birmingham-Southern (15-3, 9-1 SAA) would race out to a 10-1 advantage in the second set. Trailing 21-10, an Alyssa Jolly block would give the Majors some life and lead to a brief 5-0 rally. The Panthers recovered and tied the match at 25-16.

In the crucial third set, BSC found itself in front, 14-11. The Panthers would close with 11 of the next 12 points to take a 2-1 match lead.
 
Millsaps would use a 9-1 outburst in hopes of responding in the fourth set, which put the Majors ahead at 11-4. The hosts would methodically work back into the set and take a 15-14 lead.
 
The teams would trade scores from that point, but the Panthers would claim seven of the last 10 tallies to close the set and match with a 25-20 decision in the fourth.
 
The Majors will continue their road swing with a trip to Danville, Ky., to battle Centre College on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. CT. Live video and live stats will be available at gomajors.com.
 

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