IRVING, Texas – The Millsaps volleyball team wrapped up the 2023 regular season with a win against non-conference foe University of Dallas, 3-1 before falling in a five-set battle against Austin College on Saturday inside the Maher Athletic Center.


Match 1: Millsaps 3, U of Dallas 1

(22-25, 26-24, 25-18, 27-25)

A trio of Majors recorded double-doubles in the opening match with host Dallas on Saturday. Senior Brenna Macaluso finished with 12 kills, three blocks and a season-high 21 digs, junior Zoe Elder dished out 40 assists, 20 digs and four blocks, while junior Anna Capezzera registered 14 kills and 16 digs.
 
Sophomore Mallory Richardson tallied eight kills and six digs, senior Margaret Richardson led the team with 23 digs and senior Ashlyn Moore totaled nine kills.

The first set featured five tie scores and one lead exchange. The Majors pushed ahead with a 10-5 lead over the Crusaders with a 3-0 run. Dallas would soon answer back producing a 4-0 rush to draw the match at 11-11.

Later in the set, a Macaluso set would give the Majors a 20-18 advantage. However, the hosts would end the first with seven of the final nine points to secure the set, 25-22.

Both teams battled back and forth exchanging points in the second set. A kill by Elder and Moore would spark an early 6-0 run to lead 9-4.

Millsaps would continue dominating the court with the help of Mallory Richardson back-to-back kills to give the Majors a 14-7 lead.

Points would sway back and forth before Dallas would use a pair of kills to bring the contest even at 24-24. The Majors would strike back with a powerful kill by Capezzera and Moore to claim the second set, 26-24.
 
Millsaps opened the third set ahead 5-0 run. The Majors continued putting numbers on the board with another impressive 5-0 run to push ahead, 12-4.

The Crusaders would continue to struggle finding ways to score, with Millsaps tallying the final four points in the set to claim a 25-18 win.

The fourth and ultimate final set included 10 ties and three lead swings. The Crusaders would use a combination of kills and attack errors to build a 15-11 advantage midway through.

Millsaps would force three ensuing Crusader errors to cut the deficit to one point. The Crusaders would soon regain momentum to take the lead at 18-15.

A kill by Moore and Macaluso followed by an attack error would bring the match even at a 18-18 standoff.
 
The Crusaders would score four of the next five points to inch ahead, 22-19. Again Millsaps would fight back with a Macaluso kill and ace as well as a sophomore Ally Baer kill to tie the match at 22-22.

Teams would trade points and Dallas would hold set point at 24-23. Millsaps continued its resiliency with holding the Crusaders to back-to-back attack errors.

Dallas would tie the match at 25-25 with a kill, but a Capezzera kill and Crusader attack error would give the Majors the exciting win at 27-25.


Match 2: Austin 3, Millsaps 2

(25-16, 21-25, 25-23, 15-25, 11-15)

The same trio of Capezzera, Macaluso and Elder recorded double-doubles in the second match on Saturday.

Capezzera set a career-high with 20 kills to go along with 14 digs, Macaluso recorded 12 kills, 17 digs and four blocks, while Elder carried her second double-double of the day with 43 assists and 16 digs.
 
Margaret Richardson led the team with 26 digs, with Baer tallying eight kills, six digs and four blocks.

In the first set, the Majors would stretch ahead to a 19-7 lead following a 5-0 run. The Kangaroos would cut the deficit to seven points, but kills by Capezzera and Macaluso would give the Majors the first set, 25-16.

The Kangaroos would bound ahead, 8-2 and 15-8 in the second set. Millsaps would battle back courtesy of a Baer kill, an Austin error and Macaluso ace to trail, 21-20. The Kangaroos would net a 4-1 run to beat the Majors in the second set, 25-21.

The third set would produce 10 ties and six lead changes. Austin grabbed a 7-3 lead early, Millsaps responded to go ahead 8-7, but the Kangaroos however would surge ahead with an 8-0 run to take a 15-8 advantage.

Millsaps not going down without a fight, would knot the set up at 16-16 with a 7-0 stand. Both teams continued exchanging points until Millsaps was able to separate with a kill by Macaluso and Elder along with a sophomore Trista Naquin service ace to win the third set, 25-23.

The fourth set had five ties and three lead swings. The Kangaroos would show resolve, pushing ahead 16-9 and 19-11. Millsaps would bring the deficit down to seven points, but Austin tallied the final three points to tie the match at 25-15.

The Kangaroos continued their momentum and claimed an early 6-1 cushion in the decisive, fifth set. Later in the set, Capezzera would provide a kill and an Austin attack error would cut the lead down to 13-10.

The Kangaroos would finish the match with two of the final three points to secure the win at 15-11.

Millsaps will be back in action to face Sewanee in the SAA Tournament Quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10 in Mount Berry, Ga. First serve is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT with live video and live stats available at gomajors.com.
 
 
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