MEMPHIS, Tenn. & CONWAY, Ark. – The Millsaps volleyball team left its fans on the edge of their seats with a pair of heart-stopping SAA road matches over the weekend. Millsaps fell in five sets against Rhodes on Saturday, but responded with a come-from-behind, five-set triumph at Hendrix on Sunday.

Match 1: Rhodes 3, Millsaps 2
(25-21, 25-23, 25-27, 19-25, 13-15)

The Majors claimed the first two sets in narrow fashion, but the host Lynx responded with three narrow set wins of their own to claim a hard-fought match inside Mallory Gymnasium on Saturday.

Senior Bre Reed had a huge impact leading her team with 17 kills. Both graduate Alyssa Jolly and freshman Mallory Richardson finished with 11 kills apiece. Jolly also totaled a season-most seven blocks.

Sophomore Zoe Elder recorded a career-best 48 assists, while senior Hannah Mattke added 26 digs and a career-high five service aces. The match proved to be as close as anticipated with 22 total tie scores and 11 lead changes.

Finding themselves down 21-16 in the opening set, the Majors surged ahead with an incredible 9-0 burst to claim an early lead at 25-21. Junior Brenna Macaluso sparked the rally and Jolly finished the set with a kill.

Set two was a seesaw affair featuring seven ties and five lead changes. Tied at 21-21, a Rhodes attack error and Reed kill gave Millsaps much needed breathing room. Kills by Jolly and Reed over the final three points closed a 25-23 set for Millsaps.

Rhodes would battle back in the third, building a 18-12 advantage. The Majors clawed all the way back and grabbed a 23-21 and 24-23 lead. A Lynx kill followed by a Reed kill gave Millsaps the edge again at 25-24. However, Rhodes rallied with another kill and two attack errors to hang on for a 27-25 set three win.

In the fourth set, the Lynx raced ahead to an 18-8 advantage. The Majors would tally 11 of the next 18 points, but Rhodes was too far ahead and tied the match up even with a 25-19 winner.

The final set saw Rhodes create a 14-9 cushion, but Millsaps scored the next four points. A final Lynx kill ended the match at 15-13 and gave the hosts the back-and-forth win.
 
Match 2: Millsaps 3, Hendrix 2
(20-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-18, 17-15)
 
The second match of the weekend played in the opposite direction, with Millsaps claiming the final three sets in come-from-behind fashion on Garrison Court at Grove Gymnasium on Sunday.
 
Sophomore Anna Capezzera finished with 13 kills, while Reed (12 kills) and Jolly (10 kills, five blocks) also closed with double digits.
 
Macaluso was also tough at the net with six blocks and was stout defensively with 23 digs. Mattke added 25 digs to pace the Majors.

Holding a 19-18 lead in the first set, Hendrix would rattle off six of the next eight points to claim the first set 25-20. The hosts then used four 4-0 runs to pull away, 25-17 in the second set and earn a 2-0 match lead.

Knotted up at 15-15 in the third set, kills by Jolly, Capezzera, junior Ashlyn Moore and an attack error sparked a 4-0 run and what would be the start of the comeback. Up 24-23, Jolly would finish off set three with another kill.

Millsaps looked even more poised and in control in the fourth set. A Reed finishing attack sparked a 4-0 burst and extended the Millsaps advantage to 19-10. Hendrix would close the gap, but Macaluso provided the final answer with a kill to tie the match at 25-18.
 
Set five was a tightly contested struggle with four ties and four lead changes. The Majors jumped out ahead 10-6, but the Warriors rallied for a 13-12 narrow cushion.

A pair of Hendrix errors gave the lead back to Millsaps, but the Warriors retaliated the next two points to go up 15-14. Facing match point, a service error, senior Regan Cooper kill and Hendrix attack error gave Millsaps a hard-fought 17-15 set and match victory.
 
The Majors continue their road trip with a midweek contest at No. 25 Birmingham-Southern on Wednesday. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. while live video and stats will be available at gomajors.com.
 

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