Vikings lose tightly contested match to defending conference champs
by Austin Post
Without the help of outside hitter Emily Stromberg, who was out due to injury, the Berry College Vikings lost a back-and-forth battle to the defending conference champions Hendrix College in four sets Saturday, part of Berry’s Mountain Day festivities.
Approximately 200 witnessed an intense match between two of the top teams in the Southern Athletic Association. Set scores were 26-28, 26-24, 16-25 and 22-25, but the match was closer than even these tallies show.
Berry came into Saturday’s match tied for second in the SAA with a conference record of 4-1 and an overall record of 13-3. Hendrix, however, was the top-ranked team in the SAA, sporting an undefeated conference record through five matches.
The Vikings turned to a freshman for the starting lineup due to the injury to All-SAA outside hitter Emily Stromberg. Christina Goforth, a freshman out of Covenant Day School in Matthews N.C., gave the Vikings a solid performance with 11 kills and 16 digs.
But it was not enough.
“Christina played in top form today,” said Mika Robinson, head coach of the Vikings. “She along with her teammates gave us a chance to win multiple sets with her hitting.”
As a team, the Vikings had a sub-.100 hitting percentage. Middle hitter Katie O’Rourke attributed the Vikings’ hitting woes to the game plan drawn up and executed by the Warriors.
“They had us scouted out really well,” said O’Rourke, a senior All-American. “Hendrix was in good blocking position for most of the match.”
Hendrix took the first set after trading points over the last few plays. The Warriors jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Vikings fought back and kept the score within a point until the game’s end.
On the shoulders of solid defense from junior libero Katie Truluck, who collected 22 digs in the match, Berry rallied to win set two. Goforth sealed it with a kill for the final point.
After intermission, Hendrix came out clicking on all cylinders, winning set three by a score of 25-16. The Warriors had a streak of five unanswered points to widen their lead to 11-5 early in the set. Berry couldn’t get over the hump in the fourth set, falling 25-22.
M.C. Rogers, a junior outside hitter from Collierville, Tenn., lead the Hendrix offense with 17 total kills, and Felicia Beeman, out of Monrovia, Calif., anchored the defense with 21 digs.
Goforth and O’Rourke shared the load for the Vikings, both totaling 11 kills. O’Rourke also had six blocks.
Saturday’s loss drops the Vikings to a 13-4 overall record and 4-2 in SAA play, while Hendrix improves to 12-6. Hendrix remains undefeated in conference at 6-0.