MOUNT BERRY, Ga. — The Berry College volleyball team swept the Sewanee Tigers 3-0 and the Maryville College Scots 3-0 to wrap up the Berry Pod on Saturday in the Cage Center. After the first game Head Coach
Caitlyn Moriarty was honored for reaching 250 wins while the second game also saw the Vikings honor their alumni.
Berry 3 Sewanee 0
Berry and Sewanee battled throughout the opening set, with neither team able to create much separation early. The Vikings got on the board behind a kill from
Keira Kruk, while
Ava Brovet continued to distribute the ball effectively. Berry took an 8-8 tie after a kill from
Elise Trimble followed by a Trimble service ace. The Vikings continued to answer Sewanee's runs, with
Madie Whitehead,
Shelby Harris and
Cali Armstead contributing offensively. Berry took a 15-13 advantage following a Harris kill and continued to find opportunities at the net. Whitehead and
Maddie Dahl combined for a block to help the Vikings maintain pressure late in the set. The opening frame remained close down the stretch, with the teams tied at 22-22 and later 24-24. Kruk then put Berry ahead with a kill from Brovet before Whitehead finished the set with another kill, giving the Vikings a 27-25 victory and a 1-0 match lead.
The second set again featured a competitive start, but Berry gradually began to create separation. The Vikings scored the opening point on a Brovet-assisted kill and continued to receive contributions from Whitehead, Harris and Armstead. A block involving
Ailee England helped Berry remain in control at the net, while a service ace from
Andrea Hurt helped the Vikings build momentum.
Berry moved in front 11-8 following a Dahl service ace and continued to extend its advantage. The Vikings maintained a three- to five-point cushion through the middle portion of the set, with Whitehead and Harris producing kills and Armstead adding another kill at the net. Berry eventually pushed its lead to 22-17 before closing the set on a Kruk kill from Brovet. The Vikings won the second frame 25-18 to take a 2-0 match lead.
Berry came out of the intermission looking to finish the match in straight sets and quickly established control in the third.
Rosemary Boylston opened the set with a service ace, and Berry quickly built a 5-2 lead after a block from Whitehead and Armstead. The Vikings continued to pressure Sewanee, with Harris adding a kill to help Berry move ahead 7-2. Berry maintained its advantage throughout the set, with Whitehead and Armstead continuing to make an impact at the net. Trimble added another service ace to push the lead to 13-6, while Boylston contributed another ace as the Vikings extended their advantage to 18-9. Kruk continued to produce offensively, and Berry's defense helped prevent Sewanee from putting together a sustained comeback. The Vikings continued to pull away late, moving ahead 23-12 before Boylston added another service ace. Armstead then provided a kill to bring Berry to match point, and the Vikings closed out the sweep at 25-13.
Kruk led Berry offensively with 11 kills, while Harris added six and Whitehead finished with five. Brovet directed the offense with 30 assists and recorded two service aces and two blocks. Whitehead and Armstead each finished with four blocks, while Dahl added three kills, one ace and two blocks. Boylston contributed two kills, two aces and a block, while Trimble added two aces and two blocks.
Hurt led the defensive effort with 16 digs, followed by Kruk with six and Harris with seven. Berry finished the match with 37 kills, eight service aces and seven blocks while hitting .242 as a team. The Vikings also recorded 38 digs and held Sewanee to a .068 hitting percentage.
Berry 3 Maryville 0
Berry opened the match with an early point after a Maryville attack error before the Scots answered with a service error. The Vikings quickly settled in, getting kills from
Ava Brovet,
Cali Armstead and
Keira Kruk to take control early. Maryville stayed within striking distance behind kills from its attack, but Berry continued to answer with kills from
Madie Whitehead and Kruk. The Vikings used a Kruk kill and a Maryville attack error to extend their advantage before Dahl stepped to the service line and delivered an ace. Brovet followed with another ace later in the set as Berry continued to build its lead. Armstead and Brovet then combined for a block, and Armstead added another kill as the Vikings moved toward the finish. Berry received kills from Whitehead and England late in the frame and closed the opening set on a Maryville ball-handling error, taking the first set 25-14. Berry hit .364 with 14 kills and just two errors in the opening frame.
Maryville came out stronger in the second set, but Berry continued to trade points and find offense from multiple players. Boylston opened the scoring with a kill, and Trimble and Boylston teamed up for an early block. The Vikings continued to get kills from Armstead and Kruk as the set remained close. Berry then started to create separation behind its serving and blocking. Trimble recorded an ace to give the Vikings another point, while Kruk and Armstead continued to produce kills at the net. Boylston added a service ace during the middle portion of the set, and Berry used a series of Maryville errors and offensive plays to keep control. Whitehead provided several important kills as the Vikings moved toward the end of the frame. Berry also received a block from Trimble and Boylston before finishing the set 25-20 to take a 2-0 match lead.
The third set was the closest of the afternoon, with Berry and Maryville trading points throughout the frame. Boylston started the set with a kill, and Trimble and Boylston followed with another block to give Berry an early advantage. Maryville answered, but Berry continued to respond with kills from England, Whitehead and Kruk. The Vikings also received strong work at the net from Armstead, who combined with Kruk for a block during the set. As the teams continued to trade points, Berry got an ace from Trimble and another service ace from Boylston to help maintain its advantage. England and Whitehead continued to provide offensive production while Berry's defense kept the Vikings within reach during several long stretches. Maryville stayed within one possession late in the set, but Berry continued to make the key plays when needed. Kruk delivered a kill late in the frame to help the Vikings reach 23 points. After Maryville answered to tie the set at 23-23, Kruk came through with another kill to put Berry back in front. Berry then finished the match with a block from Trimble and Armstead, securing the 25-23 victory and completing the 3-0 sweep.
Kruk led the Vikings offensively with 11 kills while hitting .435 and added nine digs and two blocks. Whitehead finished with eight kills and 10 digs, while England recorded seven kills. Armstead added six kills while hitting .500 and led Berry with four blocks. Boylston contributed five kills, while Trimble directed the offense with 21 assists and added three blocks. Brovet finished with 11 assists and contributed at the net and from the service line.
Berry also received a strong defensive performance from Hurt, who recorded a team-high 13 digs. Whitehead added 10 digs, while Kruk finished with nine. The Vikings recorded five service aces and seven blocks during the three-set victory. As a team, Berry finished with 41 kills on 105 attacks with 12 errors for a .276 hitting percentage. The Vikings held Maryville to 25 kills and a .124 hitting percentage. Berry also held advantages in assists, 37-23, blocks, 7-3, digs, 49-35, and total points, 53-32.
With the victory, Berry moved to 12-3 overall and 5-1 in SAA play while completing the three-set sweep of Maryville. Berry will travel to Atlanta on Friday, October 9 at 1 p.m. to play Rhodes.
