Giveaways, volleyball Bingo, top-ranked Emory key first home volleyball match
By Raven Wilson and Chantal Guerrero
ROME, Ga. – Berry Volleyball will tangle with top-ranked Emory University in its first home match of the season in what will be the first of many “Pack the House” promotional nights for Berry Athletics.
A promotion to get as many students to specially designated “Pack the House” events, the campaign highlights one big game or match for each team during the Fall season. Berry Volleyball kicks the series off at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15.
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Head volleyball coach Mika Robinson has her team 8-1 heading into the match
with Emory Tuesday night.
Photo by Raven Wilson
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“We love having it early in the season, especially against a high-level opponent, because that sets the stage for our fans to see how much fun it is to watch volleyball,” said Mika Robinson, head coach of the 8-1 team going into Tuesday.
Volleyball’s “Pack the House” is expected to feature volleyball-themed Bingo, a tee-shirt giveaway and the Berry Drumline.
“If you are going to come to a home game, this is the one to come to,” said junior libero Katie Truluck, one of eight returning players. “We’re more ready than ever – more athletic, more focused and more relentless.”
Prize giveaways
For the crowd-wide Bingo game, Robinson said attendees will get Bingo cards at the start of the match, cards with key volleyball terms like “dig” and “kill.” Fans scoring B-I-N-G-O will get the chance to win prizes. And everyone will learn more about the sport throughout the match, Robinson said.
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Sophomore Elizabeth Ragland, shown here in action last
season, has 10 assists in six matches so far this season.
Photo by Raven Wilson
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It will help Tuesday night that the volleyball team already has one of the larger fan bases on campus. Proximity to the action, the fast-paced nature of the sport, and the quality of play should make many more volleyball fans out of those who come, Robinson said.
“I am a firm believer that we have a good enough product, that if we can get people in the first time, then they will come back,” she said. “A team that is winning and doing well makes people want to come out and support them.”
The “Pack the House” campaign began last year, initiated by the athletics department. Organizers look to identify a “must-see” rivalry game or match to use to key a “Pack the House” event night, said Cori Thiermann, athletics promotions director.
Theirmann’s promotions team tries to pick a game for which Berry “really wants a great atmosphere to rally the home team,” she said.
In some ways, the campaign allows Berry Athletics to test-drive promotions and even game day “traditions,” Robinson said.
With Emory sitting atop the rankings, Berry Volleyball “needs people to get a little crazy” Tuesday night, said Jordan Epperson, a Berry senior, who designed the “Pack the House” poster and collateral.
Related links:
- Unexpurgated interview with Coach Mika Robinson
- Berry College Volleyball team webpage