By Matthew D. Stokes, BerryVikings.com Lead Writer

ROME, Ga. – In a rematch of two Southern Athletic Association teams, it was a different day but the same result as Berry volleyball bested Oglethorpe yet again in three sets on Tuesday evening at The Cage Center. Set scores were 25-15, 25-17 and 25-21. Berry previously defeated Oglethorpe in an away match on Sept. 12 in a sweep.

Sophomore transfer Anna Keappler led Berry with 11 kills, while junior Stephanie Quinn paced the team with 26 assists and nine digs. For Oglethorpe, McKenna Bondarenko recorded a team-best eight kills, and Katherine Cassell notched 21 assists.

Berry climbs to 16-3 overall and maintains its lead in the SAA rankings with an 9-1 conference ledger. Oglethorpe falls to 3-10 and 0-10.

In the opening set, Berry brushed off small deficits to emerge victorious, 25-15. The team hit .474 while limiting Oglethorpe to a .091 clip. In the following set, Berry outhit Oglethorpe, .281 to .077, and never trailed at any point during the action as it won, 25-17. To end the match, Berry held Oglethorpe without a kill in the third and final set on its way to a decisive 25-21 win.

"I felt like we got contributions from everyone on our team tonight, which is always a good feeling," said Berry Head Coach Mika Robinson. "I've said all along that our competition in practice every day is what's preparing us and making us so good in these game situations. It's nice for all of our players to get to show off those skills to our home fans and enjoy the victory."

Robinson said the team's reserves have stayed on top of their games even before seeing extensive playing time against Oglethorpe.

"They are sharp day in and day out," said Robinson of the reserves. "Really, any of the players on our team could be somewhere else and starting. And we appreciate the fact that all of our players have bought into the concept of being the best team that we can be, and that means pushing each other in the practice gym every day.

"Truly our success this year is because of how hard we push each other every day. They compete like crazy day in and day out, and so when we step out onto the floor the games actually seem a little bit easier compared to what we see on a daily basis."

"We're just trying to keep our fans excited, which helps a lot during the matches," said Keappler. "We're trying to finish first in the SAA so that we can host the conference tournament at the end of the season."

Berry will hit the road in its next match on Friday evening at SAA opponent Hendrix College in Arkansas at 7 p.m. This will mark Berry's first action away from its home court since Sept. 15, a five-set loss to Centre College.