DANVILLE, Ky.— The Berry College volleyball team earned a five-set victory over Southwestern University on Friday, winning 3-2 with set scores of 21-25, 25-19, 25-27, 29-27 and 15-11. The Vikings improved to 16-3 overall and 9-1 in Southern Athletic Association play with the conference win.
Berry opened the match with an early lead, scoring the first three points behind a kill from
Madie Whitehead and two Southwestern attack errors. The Pirates answered with a run to take a 5-3 lead before Berry regained the advantage at 8-7. Whitehead continued to provide a strong offensive presence, recording multiple kills throughout the set. Southwestern later took control with a 22-18 advantage, but Berry continued to battle as
Keira Kruk and
Ava Brovet contributed points. The Vikings cut the deficit to 24-21, but Southwestern recorded the final point to take the opening set 25-21.
Berry responded in the second set, using a strong offensive attack to even the match. The Vikings took an early 6-4 lead before Southwestern moved ahead 7-6. Berry regained control behind kills from Whitehead, Kruk and Brovet, building an 11-7 advantage. Whitehead continued to lead the attack, while
Shelby Harris and Kruk added kills to keep the Vikings in front. Berry extended its lead to 18-14 before Southwestern attempted to rally. The Vikings maintained their advantage late, reaching set point at 24-19 before Brovet finished the set with a kill to give Berry a 25-19 victory and tie the match at one set apiece.
Southwestern came out strong in the third set, taking an early 7-2 lead. Berry continued to fight back, with Harris, Whitehead and Kruk contributing kills to help the Vikings close the gap. Berry eventually pulled within one at 11-10, but Southwestern responded to extend its advantage to 17-12. The Vikings then put together a strong run, scoring five straight points to tie the set at 17-17. The teams traded points throughout the remainder of the set, with Berry tying the score at 24-24 on a Whitehead kill. Southwestern took a 26-25 lead before recording the final point to win the set 27-25 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Vikings answered with a hard-fought fourth set, battling throughout to force a decisive fifth set. Berry took an early 6-4 lead before Southwestern moved ahead 10-8. Whitehead helped Berry regain the advantage with consecutive points, and the Vikings later led 12-10. Southwestern answered to tie the set at 18-18, setting up a back-and-forth finish. The teams continued trading points until the score reached 23-23. Berry took a 24-23 lead, but Southwestern answered to force extra points. After the teams remained tied at 25-25 and 26-26, Berry finally broke through. Whitehead recorded a kill to give the Vikings a 28-27 advantage before adding another kill to close out the set 29-27 and force a fifth set.
Berry carried its momentum into the deciding set, taking an early 5-3 lead. Southwestern responded to pull within one at 7-6, but the Vikings continued to apply pressure. Berry
extended its lead to 12-9 before Southwestern cut the deficit to 13-11. The Vikings then closed out the match with two straight points, with Whitehead delivering the final kill to give Berry a 15-11 victory and secure the 3-2 conference win.
Whitehead led Berry with 26 kills and 29.5 points, while hitting .345 and adding three service aces. Kruk and Brovet each recorded 12 kills, with Brovet also directing the offense with 52 assists and adding two blocks. Harris contributed 10 kills and 13 digs, while
Cali Armstead finished with five kills and a team-high seven blocks.
Andrea Hurt led Berry defensively with 31 digs and added two service aces.
Ailee England also recorded three service aces.
As a team, Berry recorded 70 kills while hitting .246, compared with 66 kills and a .211 hitting percentage for Southwestern. The Vikings also finished with 58 assists, 11 service aces, 12 blocks and 82 digs.
The Vikings' ability to respond after dropping the first and third sets helped Berry complete the comeback victory and improve to 16-3 overall and 9-1 in SAA play. They continue their play tomorrow vs. Trinity at 11 a.m.
