MARSHALL, Texas – The Millsaps volleyball team split a pair of matches in Saturday's conclusion of the ETBU Tiger Invitational. The Majors were bested by Hardin-Simmons in three sets before battling back and defeating the University of St. Thomas in five sets.
 
Match 1: Hardin-Simmons 3, Millsaps 0

(12-25, 22-25, 21-25)
 
The Majors out blocked the Cowgirls, 6-5 and tallied a 5-5 ace ratio. However, Hardin-Simmons led with a 40-25 mark in kills and 36-22 edge in assists.
 
Senior Brenna Macaluso led Millsaps with 10 digs to go along with five kills. Junior Anna Capezzera tallied a team-high seven kills alongside seven digs. Classmate Zoe Elder passed out 17 assists.
 
The Cowgirls opened the first set with the first seven points. Millsaps would battle back to make it a one-point deficit, trailing 9-8. Hardin-Simmons would pull away with 10 consecutive points soon after to claim the opening set, 25-12.
 
The Majors came into set two with renewed energy and built an early 3-0 lead. The remainder of the set would feature eight ties and one lead change. Offensively and defensively both sides would go back and forth and be tied as late as 19-19.
 
The Cowgirls tallied the next four points before a Macaluso kill and sophomore Mallory Richardson kill made it a 23-22 deficit. Hardin-Simmons scored the last two points for a 25-22 win in set two.
 
Millsaps would hold a 2-1 edge to begin set three, but the Cowgirls would lasso a 21-9 advantage of their own. The Majors wouldn't quit as a Capezzera kill sparked a 5-0 run, which was punctuated by a separate 4-0 burst. With Hardin-Simmons up 23-19, the teams would add a pair of points each for the final tally.

 
Match 2: Millsaps 3, University of St. Thomas 2

(23-25, 26-24, 19-25, 25-22, 15-12)

The final match of the weekend was an epic back-and-forth battle, which saw Millsaps (3-4) claim the final two sets. The Majors used a 12-7 service ace as well as a 77-69 dig advantage to win the closely contested fight.
 
Capezzera (13 kills, 11 digs, four aces), Macaluso (10 kills, 15 digs) and Elder (45 assists, 19 digs) each recorded double-doubles. Senior Ashlyn Moore set a career high with eight kills, while sophomore Ally Baer added eight kills of her own and a career-best four aces.
 
Set one was a series of runs early with St. Thomas (5-2) posting a four-point burst before Millsaps (3-4) rattled off seven straight points to lead, 9-5. The teams then traded three consecutive 4-0 rallies for a 13-13 deadlock. St. Thomas would grab the final lead at 18-17 and hold on for a 25-23, set-one win.
 
Neither team would lead by more than four points in the second set as the match would be even at 23-23 late. An Elder kill, Macaluso kill and Baer kill would help Millsaps tie up the match with a thrilling 26-24 decision.
 
In set three, St. Thomas would pull ahead 18-10 before the Majors used a 4-0 rally to cut the deficit down to 20-17. However, the Celts closed the set on a 5-2 run to take a 2-1 lead at 25-19.
 
The Majors built leads of 8-2 and 18-9 in the fourth set. St. Thomas would score nine of the next 10 points to make it a thrilling finish. The programs would trade the next nine points with a Richardson kill and Celts ball handling error, forcing a fifth set at 25-22.
 
Millsaps then constructed a 12-4 advantage in the decisive set. Momentum shifted back in favor of St. Thomas, who scored eight of the next nine points to stay alive. Moore and Capezzera would push back the comeback attempt with a pair of kills to secure the exciting victory, 15-12.
 
The Majors return home to host the Millsaps Invitational, Friday and Saturday. Live video and stats will be available for all matches at gomajors.com.

 
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