SEWANEE, Tenn. — The Maryville College volleyball team went 1-2 at the Sewanee Penta Match, falling to No. 16 Berry 3-0 before defeating Oglethorpe 3-1. The Scots closed out the weekend with a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Centre.
Game One
Maryville opened the match by taking the first point before Berry responded with a 5-0 run to take a 5-1 lead. The Scots fought back with kills from Aubrey Gibson, Lexi Davis and Ruby Walton, along with a service ace from Megan Fairburn, cutting the deficit to 8-6. However, Berry used a 7-1 run to extend its advantage to 15-7. Despite trading points down the stretch, Maryville fell 25-19 in the opening set.
The Scots again claimed the first point in set two, but Berry quickly responded. The teams exchanged points early before the Vikings used an 8-3 run to take control. A kill from Davis helped Maryville stay within reach, but Berry followed with a 13-1 run, interrupted only by a Viking attack error, to take the set 25-12.
Maryville started set three with a narrow 4-3 advantage before Berry regained the lead. Kills from Charlie Grubbs and Addison Appleby helped fuel the Scots' offense, but Maryville struggled to close the gap until late in the set. Trailing by three, the Scots put together a 3-0 run to even the score. Berry responded, however, holding off the Maryville comeback to secure a 25-23 win and complete the sweep.
Game Two
Maryville bounced back in its second match of the day, defeating Oglethorpe in four sets. The Scots opened the first set with the first two points, then used service aces from Kyrah Bowles and Fairburn, along with several Oglethorpe attack errors, to build an early 8-3 lead. Despite an effort from the Stormy Petrels to close the gap, Dakota Vaiese, Walton, Gibson and Appleby helped Maryville extend its advantage to 15-7. Powered by kills from Izzy Freeman, Walton and Appleby, the Scots maintained control to take the opening set 25-21.
Oglethorpe came out strong in set two, claiming the first two points before Maryville answered with two of its own. The teams battled through 14 ties in a tightly contested set. Seven different Scots contributed as Maryville stayed within striking distance, but a 3-0 Oglethorpe run gave the Stormy Petrels a 23-20 advantage. Two consecutive Maryville service errors handed Oglethorpe the final points in a 25-22 set victory.
Despite falling behind early in set three, the Scots quickly regained control with a 5-1 run to take a 5-3 lead. The teams continued to trade points before Maryville broke away with a 9-1 run. Grubbs, Appleby and Vaiese contributed during the surge, helping the Scots build a 21-12 advantage. After Oglethorpe briefly interrupted the run, Walton delivered two kills to close out the set 25-17 and put Maryville ahead two sets to one.
Maryville carried that momentum into the fourth set. After an early back-and-forth battle, the Scots put together an 11-1 run behind Gibson, Appleby and Walton to take a 15-7 lead. Oglethorpe managed to string together a few points, but Maryville responded with another dominant stretch. Leading 17-12, the Scots closed the match with an 8-0 run, with Bowles, Walton and Davis contributing to the finish. Maryville claimed the set 25-12 to secure the 3-1 victory.
Game Three
In their final match of the Sewanee Penta Match, the Scots faced top-ranked Centre and fell 3-0.
Maryville opened the first set with a kill from Vaiese, followed by a service ace, to take an early 4-0 lead. Centre fought back to tie the score at 6-6, but two Colonels attack errors and back-to-back kills from Walton helped Maryville regain control at 10-6. Centre responded with a series of successful attacks to reclaim the lead at 22-21. Kills from Freeman and Appleby kept the Scots within reach, but the Colonels held on for a 25-23 set victory.
Set two featured another close battle, with the score tied eight times. Centre capitalized on Maryville errors while adding service aces and kills to build a 17-12 advantage. The Scots answered with a 6-0 run fueled by three Appleby kills and a Walton service ace, taking an 18-17 lead. Maryville remained within one point at 21-20, but Centre responded with four consecutive points. A kill from Davis briefly halted the run before the Colonels closed out the set 25-23.
Maryville fell behind early in the third set as Centre began to pull away. Appleby recorded a kill and Maddie Bouvier added a service ace, but the Colonels followed with nine consecutive points to build an 11-2 lead. Gibson, Grubbs and Walton continued to contribute offensively as the Scots looked to rally, but Centre maintained its advantage and closed out the match with a 25-15 set victory.
The Scots return to action Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 PM to open the Maryville Quad Match.
