Haiden Widener, Campus Carrier Asst. Sports Editor
Mountain Day’s stormy weather brought 450 fans to Saturday’s volleyball game against Hendrix College, one of the highest attendance rates this season.
Despite their effort and energy, Berry volleyball could not pull out a win against Hendrix on Saturday. The Vikings won one set 26-24, but lost the other three sets 28-26, 25-16 and 25-22.
Fierce competition was consistent throughout the game. Both teams kept the intensity high, but the game resulted in Berry falling to 4-2 in the conference. Hendrix advanced to 6-0.
“I think we just had a little bit of unnecessary pressure on ourselves to come out and win it in three [sets],” freshman outside hitter Christina Goforth said.
The games were extremely close, as were many of the final stats. Berry ended with 158 total kills, compared to Hendrix’s 160. And they had the exact same number of blocks, both teams with 22.
The first two sets were forced to over 25 points because the games were so close, which had Berry fans on their feet.
“The fans just make it that much more exciting,” sophomore middle blocker Sara Priest said.
The Vikings were ranked first in the nation for blocking in Division III before this game. They have now fallen to sixth, according to the NCAA. Part of this was due to Hendrix figuring out the Vikings blocking, and counteracting them and blocking just as well. Many points were lost due to blocking errors.
Priest said that Hendrix’s blocking was frustrating, but the Vikings weren’t discouraged.
“Spirits were definitely [still] high,” she said. “We played a good match. It just didn’t go our way.”
In a game as close as this one, little errors can mean a loss. But Berry hasn’t lost their excitement. Hendrix is the number one team in the SAA conference, and Berry still has an outstanding record of 13-5. The Vikings hope to do well in the conference tournament.
“No matter what, we are going to finish well, and we’re going to have a lot of fun,” Goforth said.
Berry will play at Hendrix on Oct. 16. Priest said the team will be working hard on their blocking in order to prepare.
This season has been successful for Berry volleyball, even with this loss. Not only do they have a winning record at 13-5, but their uplifting attitudes say a lot about the kind of team the Vikings are.