SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The Berry College volleyball team battled back from an opening-set loss to defeat Trinity University (Texas) 3-1 Friday evening at the Bell Center, winning 23-25, 25-16, 25-21 and 27-25. The Vikings improved to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in Southern Athletic Association play with the win.
Berry and Trinity traded points early in the first set, with the Vikings getting kills from
Madie Whitehead,
Shelby Harris and
Keira Kruk to stay within reach. Berry also got strong play at the net from Whitehead and
Cali Armstead, but Trinity was able to create some separation late and took the opening set 25-23.
The Vikings came out with a much different pace in the second set. Berry stayed close early before Trinity moved ahead 13-9. From there, the Vikings completely changed the momentum.
Berry put together a huge 10-0 run to turn a 9-13 deficit into a 19-13 lead. The run started with a Berry point from
Ava Brovet before Dahl added a kill. Berry's defense then helped create another point at the net, followed by more kills from Dahl, Kruk and Whitehead. Kruk added another kill, and Berry finished the run with a service ace to take a six-point lead. The Vikings did not let up after taking the lead. Whitehead added another kill, while Berry's defense continued to force mistakes and keep Trinity from putting together a run of its own. Berry eventually pushed the lead to 24-15 before closing out the set 25-16 to even the match at 1-1.
The third set was another close battle early. Berry used kills from Armstead, Whitehead and Kruk to stay within striking distance before the set reached a 13-13 tie. With the score tied, Berry began to take control. Dahl and Harris helped the Vikings move in front before Whitehead delivered a kill to make it 16-14. Berry then added another point at the net before Whitehead came through with back-to-back service aces, pushing the Vikings ahead 19-14 during a 5-0 run. Berry continued to answer every time Trinity tried to close the gap. Kruk added another kill, while Hurt and Brovet helped the Vikings reach 24-18. Berry eventually took the third set 25-21 after holding off a late push, giving the Vikings a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set was the most dramatic of the night. Berry and Trinity traded points throughout the frame, with the Vikings continuing to get important contributions from Whitehead, Kruk, Harris and Dahl.
Berry stayed within striking distance throughout the middle of the set and used its blocking and serving to create momentum. Whitehead and Harris helped Berry make plays at the net, while the Vikings continued to find ways to answer when Trinity threatened to pull away. The set remained tight all the way to the end. Berry eventually found itself tied at 24-24, setting up a dramatic finish. Trinity moved ahead 25-24, but Berry answered immediately with a Whitehead kill to tie the set at 25-25. Berry then took the lead when a strong defensive play at the net from Dahl and Whitehead with a big block, putting the Vikings ahead 26-25. With the match on the line,
Ailee England stepped to the service line and delivered an ace to finish the set 27-25 and give Berry the 3-1 victory.
Whitehead and Kruk led Berry with 13 kills apiece. Whitehead also recorded four service aces and six blocks while finishing with a team-high 20 points. Dahl added seven kills, two aces and seven blocks while hitting .353. Harris finished with eight kills, one ace, three blocks and seven digs. Armstead contributed five kills and four blocks. Brovet finished with 38 assists, one ace and two blocks while helping Berry record 49 kills as a team. England added three service aces, including the match-clinching ace in the fourth set. Defensively,
Andrea Hurt led the Vikings with 21 digs. Harris added seven digs, while Kruk finished with six. Berry finished the match with 11 service aces, 11 blocks, 44 assists and 49 digs.
The Vikings improved to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in SAA play with the victory. Berry will remain in San Antonio for its next match against Southwestern University on Saturday, September 26 at 1:45 p.m.
