JACKSON, Miss. — The Millsaps College volleyball team opened its 2026 regular season with a three-set victory against Belhaven University on Tuesday night inside the Rugg Arena.
Sophomore Madelynn Sasser led the Majors with a career-high 13 kills and added one block assist. Senior Sandy Bourgeois recorded a team-high 16 digs as well as three assists, and one service ace. Sophomore Rachel Zamjahn finished with 21 assists, eight digs, and two kills. Bohl added eight kills on 14 attacks while hitting .500.
Millsaps built a 6-3 lead in the opening set with kills from junior Zoë LaCaze, sophomore Lily Luneau, freshman Khloe Duncan, and sophomore Kinney Boyle, but Belhaven used two Millsaps attack errors and an ace to come back and tie the match into a 7-7 draw.
Moments later, Belhaven moved ahead 13-12 on an ace, but Sasser answered with consecutive kills before Bourgeois served an ace to put Millsaps back in front, 15-14.
Both teams battled back and forth at 18-18, but that did not stop Millsaps from staying ahead through the next stretch as Sasser, Bohl, and Duncan recorded kills before a Blazers setting error and an junior Abigail Drury ace made it 21-19.
Belhaven cut Millsaps' lead from 24-21 to 23-23, but Sasser finished the set with a pair of kills from LaCaze assists for a 25-23 Millsaps win.
In the second set, Belhaven moved ahead 5-4. Millsaps won the next six points to maintain their confidence, tying the set on Luneau's kill and moved in front, 10-5 during sophomore Atlee Gonzales' service turn.
Gonzales' stretch included an ace, a block by Sasser and Luneau, and Sasser's kill from Bourgeois. Belhaven cut the margin to 12-10, but kills by Sasser and Drury helped Millsaps stay ahead before a service error made it 15-11.
Sophomore Laila Fredieu then served during four straight Millsaps points, a stretch that included a LaCaze kill and a Bohl kill, to push the lead to 19-11 following a 5-0 run.
Belhaven got back to a 19-13 rhythm, but Millsaps finished the set with late kills from Bohl, Duncan, Zamjahn, and Sasser, along with a Drury ace, to take it 25-16 in a major way.
The Blazers built a 6-2 lead in the third set before a service error gave Millsaps the sideout, and Drury served six straight points as Luneau supplied four kills and shared a block with Duncan to move Millsaps ahead, 9-6.
Belhaven tied it at 9-9, and the teams traded points through the middle of the set, with Belhaven going back in front 16-15 on a Millsaps attack error.
Bohl answered with a kill to tie the set, and Millsaps won four of the next five rallies behind a Luneau and Duncan block, a LaCaze ace, and two Belhaven errors to lead 19-16. Sasser closed the 25-20 set win with a kill from Zamjahn to take down the Blazers on Tuesday.
The Majors will travel to Belton, Texas to face Carroll University, beginning at 11:15 a.m. and Alverno College, serving at 1:30 p.m to open the University of Mary Hardin Baylor Tournament.
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.
