VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.— An explosive offensive display against a familiar foe launched No. 16 Berry College into the second round of the NCAA Volleyball tournament as the Vikings swept Washington and Lee (25-19, 30-28, 25-16) on opening day of the Virginia Wesleyan Regional.
The Vikings wasted no time seizing control of the opening set, striking first with kills from Keira Kruk and Ailee England to jump ahead 3–1. Washington and Lee briefly steadied, pulling even at 5–5, but Berry quickly reclaimed the momentum. A smooth connection from Ava Brovet to Madie Whitehead pushed the Vikings ahead 10-9. From there, England ignited the Vikings offense with a blistering serving run, firing off three straight aces to surge Berry ahead 13-9. The Generals attempted to respond, cutting the deficit 19-18, but Berry countered with stronger offensive prowess. The Vikings splurged comfortably in front thanks to kills by Brovet and Whitehead. The set ended in emphatic fashion as England's service ace at match point clinched the 25–19 win.
The second set opened with Berry striking first, as Kruk delivered early kills to put the Vikings up 2–1. The Generals, however, quickly shifted the momentum, surging ahead 9–4 behind a dominant stretch. Berry stopped the run with a Whitehead kill to close the gap to 9–5, but the Generals continued applying pressure, extending their lead to 14–9. The Vikings slowly settled back in, stringing together kills from Kruk, Whitehead, and Lura Underwood to cut the deficit to 17–14. The Generals stayed in front late at 22–21, but Berry refused to fold, with Brovet and Whitehead teaming up to tie the set at 23. The teams traded blows deep into extra points—exchanging kills at 25–25, 27–27, and 28–28. Finally, with the score locked at 28–28, Berry delivered the decisive push. Brovet hammered a kill to take the lead, and moments later, Kruk crushed the set-winner off a feed from Brovet, securing the marathon 30–28 victory for the Vikings.
Berry wasted no time taking control of the third set, jumping ahead 3–1 behind a Blakely Barnes kill and a sharp service ace from England. The Generals responded with a brief push, capitalizing on a pair of Viking attack errors to edge in front 5–3, but Berry quickly answered. Underwood and Cali Armstead sparked the offense with back-to-back kills to tie the frame at 7–7, and the Vikings surged from there. A dominant stretch from Kruk and Underwood, including three straight scoring swings, propelled Berry to an 11–8 lead. The Vikings extended the cushion to 16-12 before Washington and Lee made their final unsuccessful attempt to halt the Viking momentum. Though the Generals worked to break Berry's rhythm, the Vikings continued to pour on pressure. Kara Schmit's clutch ace stretched the lead to 20–14, and Armstead dominated the late points with three decisive kills. On set point, she delivered one more from a Brovet assist, locking in the 25–16.
The Vikings hit .194 as a team in the match. Whitehead and Kruk led the squad with 14 and 13 kills, respectively.
The Vikings will continue their post-season run tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. EST as they take on No. 15 Virginia Wesleyan for a chance to play in the NCAA Regional Championship.