MOUNT BERRY, Ga.- An intimidating offensive performance against a familiar opponent launched No. 10 Berry College into the second round of the NCAA Volleyball tournament as the Vikings shut Washington and Lee down 3-1 (25-18, 25-27, 25-17, 25-20) on opening day of the Berry Regional.
Jazzy Innis, Bella Boston, Lindsey MacDiarmid, and Lura Underwood all posted double-doubles for the Vikings. MacDiarmid tagged a new career high of 52 assists on the night.
The offensive output for the Vikings (27-5) in the first set was electric, giving the Generals little chance to ease into The Cage's atmosphere. Totaling seven kills each, the arms of Boston and Innis stunned the Generals (22-11) to trail the Vikings by 10 points early in the set. Dominating the floor with 20 kills and 19 assists, the Vikings secured set one.
Settling in, the Generals jumped to an early lead in the second set 13-9 due to seven kills from the royal blue team and five Berry errors. Berry battled back and forth until the score came to 19-16 in favor of Washington and Lee. Berry head coach Caitlyn Moriarty attempted to slow the General's momentum by using a timeout as the Vikings were down. Resetting, Berry ran back on the floor determined not to allow the Generals to tie the match easily. Down 24-22, the Vikings capitalized on two crucial Washington and Lee errors to tie the game. A service ace from Andrea Hurt would be the last time Berry scored in this set, losing the game 27-25.
The extra-long second set relinquished a new wave of aggression in the Vikings. A 4-0 run ignited by a kill from Olivia Mallow put Moriarty's team in the driver's seat for the remainder of the set. A total of 15 kills elevated Berry's lead to 24-17. A General error in the last point of the third hoisted Berry up 2-1 going in to the fourth set of the match.
In a win or go home situation, the Generals kept a tight leash on Berry in the first half of the fourth. Not allowing more than a three-point lead on either side, the Vikings and Generals tied one another and changed leads a total of six times before the Vikings finally broke away due to three consecutive kills by Underwood to make the score 21-17. Taking advantage of a picturesque set from MacDiarmid, Innis solidified Berry's ticket to Friday with a kill that, by some miracle, did not leave a dent in The Cage floor.
The Vikings hit .245 as a team in the match. Innis and Underwood led the squad with 16 and 15 kills, respectively.
The Vikings will continue their post-season run tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. EST as they take on the Trinity Tigers for a chance to play in the NCAA Regional Championship.
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