MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - The Vikings took on No. 10 Trinity on Saturday afternoon, where they were outlasted 3-1 despite a fiery first set victory.
Madie Whitehead led the way for the Vikings with 11 kills, while Blakely Barnes (9 kills) and Keira Kruk (8 kills) also showed out for the home team.
The first set was all Vikings early on, as a double block from Ava Brovet and Blakely Barnes ignited the crowd to give Berry a 15-12 advantage. Moments later with an 18-16 advantage, Keira Kruk received a set from Brovet and sent it home to start a 3-0 run that was closed out by a monster kill from Cali Armstead. Despite the 23-19 advantage, the Tigers came back with three unanswered points of their own to make it 23-22. An error from the Tigers and a Maddie Dahl ace would seal the first set for the Vikings as they won it 25-22.
Berry's intensity continued to stay at a high level in the second set, as Madie Whitehead finished off a kill from a Brovet assist that make the score 5-2. An error from the Tigers and ace from Dahl set up Berry with a 10-5 lead. The Vikings preserved a 19-14 lead late in the set behind yet another ace from Dahl. The Tigers found their groove in just the nick of time, as they roared back to tie it at 22. A few plays later, a set-defining play would ensue, as Armstead skyrocketed for what the crowd thought was a kill to give Berry a 25-24 advantage. Instead, it was ruled a ball handling violation and a point for Trinity. The Tigers then finished off the set to tie the game at one apiece.
The third set was all Tigers, as their length and depth played a factor in the third set, catapulting them to a convincing 25-14 third set victory. More of the same was true in the fourth set, but not without a valiant effort from the Vikings. Facing an 11-6 deficit, Armstead recieved a set from Brovet and hammered a kill home to make the score 11-7. A few plays later, Whitehead leaped for a textbook kill that kept the Vikings within 4, 13-9.
A 6-1 run would seal the fate of the Vikings as they were not able to overcome the Tigers and were outlasted 25-20 in the fourth set. The Vikings are in action again tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 PM against Southwestern on their senior day.
