Loss caps a difficult Mountain Day weekend for 13-5 Vikes
by Michael Shaw
The Berry College volleyball team (13-5) on Sunday suffered its second match loss in two days, a five-set heartbreaker to Rhodes College (6-10), on Berry’s annual Parent Day. The set scores were 25-18, 22-25, 25-15, 21-25 and 10-15.
The Vikings took the first set on the strength of a string of kills from senior Katie O’Rourke. Sets after went back and forth, with Rhodes taking the second, Berry the third and Rhodes the fourth. Rhodes closed the match out in the fifth despite the strong play by O’Rourke and freshman Christina Goforth, who replaced All-American Emily Stromberg on the front line.
Stromberg sat out her second straight match with a back problem; it’s not known when she might return.
On offense, O’Rourke tallied 12 kills for the Vikings, while senior Lauren Schmitz recorded 34 assists. Junior Katie Truluck led the defense with 19 digs, while freshman Christina Goforth added 10. O’Rourke and junior Jessica Gum each totaled eight blocks.
“It wasn’t just in the final set,” said sophomore Elizabeth Ragland, explaining the loss. “It was just mistakes that we made along the way that led to us going to a fifth set.”
Stromberg’s absence also played a part, according to Jansen. The main quality they were missing from her was her leadership.
“Moving forward, we want to play for her,” Jansen said. “It’s definitely a big loss.
Going forward, head coach Mika Robinson said the emphasis would continue to be the process.
“At this point, it doesn’t matter if we’re 13-5 or 5-13,” she said. “We still have to get ready for tomorrow and get better for the next opponent.”
For Parent Day, part of Mountain Day weekend, each player was recognized alongside family on the court prior to the match.
“It’s always exciting to play in front of your family,” said Caitlyn Jansen, assistant coach. “I think our team was pretty unaffected by the crowd.”
The Vikings play their next conference game at Oglethorpe on Wednesday, Oct. 7.