MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Berry College volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat Rhodes College 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Mallory Gymnasium, earning a 22-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-11, 15-8 victory. The Vikings improved to 21-4 overall and 14-2 in Southern Athletic Associatiom play with the conference win.
Berry faced an early challenge in the opening set as Rhodes took control with a strong offensive attack. The Vikings battled back from an early deficit, using kills from
Madie Whitehead,
Keira Kruk and
Cali Armstead to keep the score close. Berry eventually put together a run behind
Andrea Hurt's serving, scoring four consecutive points to take a 14-10 lead. Rhodes responded with a run of its own, however, tying the set at 15-15 before the teams continued trading points. With the score tied at 21-21, Rhodes closed the set with three straight points to take the opener 25-22.
The second set featured another back-and-forth battle, with both teams exchanging leads throughout the frame. Berry built an early 10-6 advantage behind kills from Kruk and
Ava Brovet, but Rhodes continued to fight back. The Vikings maintained a narrow lead late in the set, using kills from Whitehead and
Shelby Harris to move ahead 20-19. Berry extended its advantage to 23-20 following consecutive Rhodes errors and a Whitehead kill. However, Rhodes responded with five straight points, including two service aces from Luca Prest, to steal the set 25-23 and take a 2-0 match lead.
Berry responded in the third set, finding its rhythm offensively and building an early advantage. The Vikings took control with a strong serving stretch from Whitehead, scoring five consecutive points to extend their lead to 10-4. Kruk and Armstead contributed kills during the run, while the Berry defense forced several Rhodes attack errors. Rhodes attempted to close the gap, but the Vikings continued to maintain control behind their offensive attack. Berry extended its lead to 18-12 before Kruk and Brovet helped keep the momentum going. The Vikings eventually reached set point at 24-18 before closing out the frame 25-19 to cut the match deficit to 2-1.
The Vikings carried that momentum into the fourth set, delivering their strongest performance of the afternoon. Berry jumped out to an early 5-2 lead before extending the advantage behind kills from Whitehead and Kruk. With the score at 7-5,
Rosemary Boylston took over from the service line, recording three consecutive service aces to help Berry build an 11-5 advantage. The Vikings continued to apply pressure, with Armstead and Kruk adding kills as the lead grew. Berry pushed its advantage to 18-8 before closing the set with a dominant run. The Vikings scored the final seven points of the frame, including a service ace from Kruk, to earn a 25-11 victory and force a deciding fifth set.
Berry carried its momentum into the fifth set, opening with a strong offensive effort to take an early 5-2 lead. The Vikings continued to control the pace, with Kruk and Whitehead recording kills to extend the advantage. Brovet helped direct the offense as Berry maintained its lead throughout the deciding frame. The Vikings moved ahead 10-6 before adding another stretch of points behind their serving and defensive pressure. Boylston contributed another service ace, while Kruk added a kill to move Berry closer to the finish. The Vikings ultimately closed out the match 15-8 to complete the comeback victory.
Kruk led Berry offensively with 21 kills while hitting .385 and adding 18 digs and two blocks. Whitehead followed with 19 kills and 13 digs, while Brovet contributed nine kills and directed the offense with 49 assists. Armstead added eight kills and three blocks, while Harris finished with six kills and 11 digs. Boylston recorded five kills, three blocks and a team-high five service aces. Hurt anchored the defensive effort with a match-high 29 digs.
As a team, Berry recorded 68 kills while hitting .254, compared with 50 kills and a .161 hitting percentage for Rhodes. The Vikings also finished with 60 assists, nine service aces, 12 total blocks and 84 digs.
Berry's ability to respond after dropping the first two sets helped the Vikings secure their 21st victory of the season and improve to 14-2 in SAA play. The Vikings will look to continue their strong play at the Emory Invitational on Friday, November 6 at 3:30 p.m. against Washington and Lee.
