SEWANEE, Tenn. – The Millsaps volleyball team closed out the weekend strong by bettering Sewanee in a Southern Athletic Association matchup (25-19, 23-25, 25-16, 25-11) inside the Juan Gymnasium on Sunday.
Junior Ally Baer finished with 13 kills, three blocks and five digs. Classmate Trista Naquin finished with a career-high 14 kills, alongside three blocks and one dig.
Classmate Zoe Elder erupted with 42 assists, nine digs, two kills along with two blocks. Senior
Anna Capezzera contributed eight kills and seven digs.
Defensively sophomore
Sandy Bourgeois reached 18 digs and freshman
Abigail Drury posted 11 digs. Junior
Mallory Richardson contested nine kills, two blocks and four digs.
In the first set, Elder struck the Tigers with the first kill of the match. Both teams would trade off points before a Richardson kill would move the Majors up, 12-9.
Millsaps (16-4, 3-3 SAA) would extend their lead to 20-15 after a 3-0 run with Naquin and
Rylee Stephens kills and a Capezzera ace.
Millsaps would continue attacking in the bottom of the set as Richardson would register another kill before a Sewanee (3-10, 0-6 SAA) timeout.
Baer finished the set with two more kills as the Majors would surpass the Tigers in the first, 25-19.
In the second set, Sewanee jumped ahead of the Majors, 6-1. Millsaps would call a timeout to switch up their strategy.
Sewanee would move ahead, 14-4 as Millsaps would seek another timeout. The Tigers stretched their lead to 22-8.
However, the hosts would find themselves in the hot seat as Millsaps would record a scorching 12-0 run to cut the deficit down to two points.
The opponents would keep their hopes alive in the bottom of the set by escaping with a 25-23 decision.
In the third set, Capezzera and Naquin started the Majors off on 2-1 lead following back-to-back kills.
The team would tally a 6-3 advantage after a 4-0 run. The lead would close down to 8-7 but Millsaps would take control from there.
A Baer kill at 12-8 forced Sewanee to call a timeout as the opposing team trailed by four points.
Millsaps followed with a 5-0 run following a Capezzera kill, Naquin kill, two Richardson kills and a Tiger attack error.
The Tigers would call timeout and make two substitution changes during and after the run, but Millsaps continued to work to finish the rest of the set strong.
The squad would close with a 5-2 run as Baer and Naquin kills would seal the third set for the Majors at 25-16.
In the fourth set, both teams exchanged points back and forth, with Millsaps holding a narrow 7-6 advantage. Millsaps would later erupt on a 13-1 run to pull ahead, 20-7.
The opponents would call timeout and a substitution change looking to find answers. A pair of attack errors and a Capezzera kill would put the Majors ahead of the Tigers by 14 points at 23-9.
The Tigers would tally their last point from a kill, but a service error would close out the set in emphatic fashion, 25-11 in favor of the Majors.
Millsaps will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 19 to host Oglethorpe University inside the Hangar Dome, beginning at 12 p.m.
Live video and live stats will be available at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the volleyball program this year follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
