By Matthew D. Stokes, BerryVikings.com Staff Writer

ROME, Ga. – Playing its second game in as many days, Berry (10-3, 4-1) defeated Rhodes (2-12, 0-4) in a Saturday afternoon SAA Conference matchup at The Cage Center. Set scores were 25-21, 25-16, 22-25 and 25-18.

For Berry, freshman Emily Stromberg racked up 11 kills, and junior Sarah Steffan had 10 (.833 hitting pct.). Junior Stephanie Quinn led the way with 32 assists while freshman Stephanie Steele recorded nine digs. For Rhodes, Lexie Krall led all players with 14 kills, and Meagan Manfield picked up 12.

In an opening set that featured five lead changes, Berry withstood a late push by Rhodes to earn the victory, 25-21. The second set was yet another back-and-forth affair, and again Berry emerged victorious, 25-16.

But Rhodes responded in the third set in spite of a Berry rally deep in the action to claim the win, 25-22. Berry recovered from this setback with its effort in the fourth and final set, jumping ahead early to seal the match, 25-18.

"I thought we played aggressively and composed today against a Rhodes team that kept coming at us," said Berry head coach Mika Robinson. "One of the things we have been working on this week is working hard to play smarter, and I thought we did that consistently.

"We know that conference play is going to be a battle every time we step on the floor, and our goal is to get a little bit better every day."

The Vikings will return to action against Millsaps on Friday at 7 p.m.

Note: Saturday's game was an SAA Kickoff 2012 event for the new conference. To honor the occasion, Berry read highlights about the eight member schools of the Southern Athletic Association throughout the competition.