The Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels hit a rugged stretch of Southern Athletic Association play over the weekend, traveling deep into the Lone Star State to face a pair of formidable conference adversaries in Southwestern University and No. 3 Trinity University. While the results did not favor the visitors—dropping both matches 3-0—the grueling Texas road swing offered crucial early-season insights as the team fights through the conference slate.
Managing the Opening Storm Against Southwestern
Opening the weekend trip on Friday, Oglethorpe ran into a sharp Southwestern squad, falling in straight sets with scores of 25-14, 25-16, and 25-14. The Petrels showed early resilience by trading points through the opening stretches of the sets. They managed to reach the 10-point mark before their opponents found the separation needed to pull away.
Aubrey Hill led the charge for the Oglethorpe offense with six kills, while teammate Sarah Johnson added five. Directing the court distribution, Lauryn Frazier tallied 13 assists alongside eight digs, tying Annabelle Turnbull for the team lead in defensive stops. Abby Wheeler chipped in seven digs and recorded the match’s lone service ace for the Petrels, while Toki Ingram paced the net defense with two total blocks.
Battling No. 3 Trinity in a Tough Saturday Finale
Saturday brought an even steeper test as the Petrels squared off against third-ranked Trinity University. Oglethorpe ultimately dropped the contest 25-8, 25-18, and 25-17, but engineered their most productive offensive frames of the weekend during the matchup.
The second set proved to be a bright spot for the visiting side, featuring 11 kills—the team’s highest single-set kill total of the weekend. Madison Thompson paced the offense with six kills on a .286 hitting percentage, while Aubrey Hill delivered a hyper-efficient outing, converting four of eight attacks for a team-best .375 hitting percentage. Frazier steered the offense with eight assists and anchored the back row with a team-high nine digs.
Trinity ultimately utilized a potent attack, racking up 36 kills and 15 service aces to manage the pace. Yet, Oglethorpe continued to scrap through the third set, maintaining striking distance and pushing to 17 points before the Tigers secured the sweep.
Building Experience as Conference Play Deepens
Across the two demanding matches, several individual performances stood out on the stat sheet. Lauryn Frazier anchored the back line with 17 total digs across the weekend, while Abby Wheeler collected 15 digs of her own.
The Stormy Petrels will look to channel the lessons learned from their Texas excursion as they return to the court on Friday, October 2, 2026. Oglethorpe is scheduled to travel to Rome, Georgia, for another SAA showdown against Maryville College, hosted at Berry College with the first serve slated for 4:30 p.m.
