MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Millsaps College volleyball team faced a busy weekend of conference action in the Volunteer State, falling to Rhodes College, 3-2, before bouncing back to defeat Maryville College, 3-1, on Saturday. The Majors concluded their two-day stretch with a 3-0 loss to Sewanee on Sunday inside the Mallory Gymnasium.

Match 1: Rhodes 3, Millsaps 2 

(17-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-15, 12-15) 

Freshman Khloe Duncan led the Majors with 15 kills and 16.0 points. Senior Sandy Bourgeois collected a team-high 31 digs and added four assists. Junior Zoë LaCaze posted five total blocks, seven kills, and two service aces. Classmate Abigail Drury finished with 18 assists and added 10 digs.

In the opening set, Rhodes responded with a 5-0 run. Millsaps answered with kills from LaCaze and senior Amelia Bohl. Another powerful kill by Bohl and a Lynx attack error brought the Majors within 6-4 as they looked to mount a comeback.

Sophomore Kinney Boyle added kills at 8-6 and 12-8 as the Majors continued to find sideouts, but Rhodes built the margin back to 15-8 with two kills and an ace during the middle of the set.

Millsaps put together another response trailing 19-10, with a Rhodes error, a block by sophomores Madelynn Sasser and Lily Luneau, and a bad set narrowing the score to 19-13. Rhodes retaliated to close the first set on the next point for a 25-17 finish.

The Majors responded in the second set by winning seven of the final eight rallies, turning an 18-18 tie into a 25-19 set win.

Millsaps answered a 10-6 deficit with points that included a Bohl kill and Bohl-LaCaze block, then used a sophomore Laila Fredieu service ace and another Bohl-LaCaze block to pull even at 13-13.

The Majors stayed level through the middle of the set before moving ahead 18-17 and later getting a sophomore Tatum Husby kill from junior Abigail Drury for a 21-19 lead.

Fredieu then served the final four points, including an ace and two Duncan kills from Drury, as Millsaps closed out the set 25-19.

In the third set it was a battle between the two conference foes; Rhodes utilized a 5-0 run to pull away from the Majors, 18-9.

Millsaps answered from 20-12 with four straight points, including a LaCaze kill, a block by LaCaze and Husby, and another LaCaze block to get within 20-16.

Rhodes stopped the run with a kill, added an ace, and held off late kills by LaCaze and Duncan to take the set 25-19, with nothing taking away from the Majors fighting hard as well.

The Lynx scored the first four points of the fourth set on a kill and three Millsaps attack errors. The Majors kept their composure, scoring on a 9-0 crucial run behind LaCaze's serve.

Rhodes' errors helped Millsaps tie the set, followed by kills from Luneau and Duncan and consecutive aces by LaCaze to make it 9-4.

Following the Majors' impressive rally, Rhodes cut the deficit to 9-6. Millsaps then scored the next six points, with Duncan recording three kills and combining with Luneau for a block during the stretch to build a 15-6 lead.

The Lynx continued to trade points with a kill and two service aces, but Millsaps maintained control with late kills from Luneau, Husby, LaCaze, Drury, and Duncan, who all delivered impressive performances.

Duncan's kill made it 24-16, and Millsaps wasted no time in the fourth set, taking down the Lynx. The Majors finished the set 25-17 on a Rhodes service error to knock off Rhodes in a positive manner.

In the fifth set, Millsaps answered the opening point with a Duncan kill from sophomore Anna Ware taking an early charge, a Rhodes attack error, and a second-year student Atlee Gonzales ace to move ahead 3-1

Rhodes pulled even at 3-3, and the teams traded points as Millsaps got kills from Sasser, Husby, Bohl, and Duncan, whose finish evened the score at 8-8. Rhodes took the next three points for an 11-8 lead, then stretched the margin to 14-10 on a kill.

Millsaps stayed within reach behind a Drury kill, a Rhodes service error, a Sasser kill, and a Lynx attack error, pulling within 14-12 before a service error ended the set 15-12 for the Lynx.

Match 2: Millsaps 3, Maryville 1
(25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 27-25)

In the first set, LaCaze and Luneau got straight to work, recording kills to give the Majors an early 2-0 lead. Both teams stayed close, trading points throughout the set.

With Maryville trailing 16-14, Millsaps answered with five of the next six points, including kills by LaCaze and Bohl, to extend its lead to 21-15. Duncan put away two of Millsaps' final four points, including set point, as the Majors took the first set, 25-18.

After a 14-7 deficit in the second set, Millsaps worked back within two at 21-19. Sasser, Husby, and LaCaze recorded kills during the push, and Duncan followed with back-to-back kills to make it 23-21 after Maryville had moved ahead 23-19.The Scots scored the final two points to take the set 25-21 following their only set victory of the contest against the Majors.

In the third set, Millsaps broke it open with a 10-0 run, with Gonzales serving nine straight points and recording three aces as the lead reached 17-7. Maryville later pulled within 23-20, but Duncan answered with a kill before Millsaps closed the set 25-20 on a Maryville attack error.

In the fourth set, Millsaps turned a 20-18 deficit into a 23-21 edge, getting two kills from Duncan and one from Ware during the stretch. Maryville soon afterwards moved ahead 25-24, but Millsaps answered with the final three points.

Husby and LaCaze combined on a block for the set point before sophomore Rachel Zamjahn's ace closed a 27-25 set win to sink the Scots on Saturday.

Match 3: Sewanee 3, Millsaps 0
(18-25, 24-26, 18-25)

In the first set, both teams engaged in a tight exchange before the Tigers built a 17-8 lead. Millsaps responded with consecutive points on a Sasser kill, an Gonzales service ace, and a Luneau kill to cut the deficit to 17-11. Duncan added three more kills, but Sewanee closed out the set, 25-18.

The Majors put together a 7-of-8 stretch in the second set, including four straight points on Bourgeois' serve, and led 20-18 before Sewanee scored four consecutive points. Millsaps held a 4-0 blocking advantage and had 15 kills, but Sewanee finished with 18 kills and two aces and took the set 26-24 after Millsaps tied it at 24-24.

In the third set, the Majors and Tigers battled evenly before Sewanee recorded three kills and capitalized on a Millsaps attack error to put together a 4-0 run and take a 22-15 lead. Luneau added two kills, and a Sewanee service error gave Millsaps its final points before the Tigers closed out the set, 25-18, on Sunday.

Up next, Millsaps volleyball team travels to San Antonio, Texas, to face Trinity University on Friday, Oct. 23, at 11 a.m. Live stats will be available and the game will streamed via FloCollege. 

To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps volleyball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook and 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.