Panthers edge Oglethorpe on Senior Night
Oct. 25, 2006

LaGrange College celebrated Senior Night with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Oglethorpe University at the CEB Gym on Wednesday. The Panthers (10-14) avenged an earlier 3-2 loss to the Stormy Petrels (6-22) in Atlanta on Sept. 12.

The Panthers honored seniors Megan Moore and Niki Metcalf before the match. Moore had her third triple-double of the season. She had 14 kills, 29 assists and 15 digs. The kills and assists totals were career highs. Metcalf had her team-leading ninth double-double with 16 kills and a team-high 22 digs.

Kayla Black and Lisa Burgee also had double-doubles. Black had 20 assists and 14 digs. Burgee had 10 kills and digs each.

The Panthers finished the match with season-highs in kills (77), assists (62) and digs (108). The Panthers had five players with double figures in kills. In addition to Moore, Metcalf and Burgee, Kiley Kirkpatrick had a team-high 17 kills, while Britny Greenspage added 10.

The Panthers won the first two games 30-27 and 31-29. The Panthers never trailed in the first game. They led by as many as five points twice in the game. Oglethorpe came back late in the game to get within two points before the Panthers closed out the game.

The second game was close throughout. The Stormy Petrels held a 25-24 lead, after the game was tied on six different occasions. The Panthers ran off five unanswered points to take a 29-25 lead. But the Stormy Petrels tied the game at 29 with four straight points. Moore put the Panthers ahead to stay with a backward tip shot for a 30-29 lead.

Oglethorpe rallied to even the match at 2-2 with 30-25 and 30-26 wins. The Stormy Petrels led by as many as eight points in the fourth game. The Panthers got as close as two points, 22-20, after a kill by Greenspage. Oglethorpe was able to close out the game to send the match to a fifth and final game.

In the deciding fifth game, the Panthers never trailed. Their biggest lead was 11-6. Burgee had two kills and kept a rally going to help the Panthers build the lead. Kirkpatrick had five of her kills in the game. She had back-to-back kills for a 13-9 lead. Kirkpatrick ended the match with a kill for the final 15-13 margin.

The Panthers travel to Sewanee, Tenn. to face the University of the South on Saturday.