Whitewater, Wis. - The Berry College Vikings began their series at the UW Whitewater invite with a tight win against the Elmhurst University Bluejays 3-2 as they kept their undefeated start to the season intact.
Ava Brovet and
Keira Kruk showed out for the Vikings, ending the game with 32 assists and 15 kills for the game respectively.
To begin the first set, Ava Brovet set up
Keira Kruk for the first kill of the game to get the Vikings onto the scoreboard. After battling back and forth, a kill by
Cali Armstead sparked a 5-0 run for Berry, making the score 7-3 in their favor. Keeping their foot on the gas, the Vikings piled on the points, ending the first set 25-11.
Dropping the first set, the Bluejays came out determined to avoid a 2-0 deficit, jumping out to a quick 4-0 advantage. Some good defense by
Ava Brovet and
Blakely Barnes forced an error by the Bluejays to give the Vikings their first point of the set, but Elmhurst didn't lose their momentum, tying the game 1-1 with a 25-18 win.
Tied to begin the third set, the Vikings looked to regain momentum. A timely kill from
Lura Underwood helped them find it, going on a 9-1 run, dominating the Bluejays. Elmhurst went on a run of their own to come back and take a one-point lead to make the score 11-10. Before Elmhurst could run away with the rest of the set,
Ava Brovet found
Keira Kruk again for another kill to stop the bleeding. The battle raged as both teams had 20 points on the scoreboard. Once again, the dynamic duo of
Ava Brovet and
Keira Kruk found each other to take the lead. It was all Berry to close the set, closing the third with a service ace for their twenty fifth point.
With a victory on the horizon, the Vikings jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the fourth set. The Bluejays continued to fight, now in do-or-die mode. The lead switched between teams in a tight contest but ultimately Elmhurst came out on top 25-23.
Tied 2-2, both teams had to dig deep for the final set. Berry earned the first point of the set on a service error by Elmhurst. Elmhurst came right back with a kill.
Ava Brovet this time found
Lura Underwood to take the lead right back. With 8-8 on the board, it was still anyone's game, but a service error by the Bluejays swung the pendulum in the Vikings' favor to seal the game on a 7-3 run with the score 15-11 and the Vikings claiming the final set.
The Vikings will stay with the cheeseheads for a double-header tomorrow, starting with the Concordia University Falcons at 2:00p.m., followed by the No. 4 University of Wisconsin Whitewater Warhawks at 4:00p.m.
