ATLANTA — Southwestern volleyball's magical season ended in the second round, with the No. 14-ranked Pirates falling to the No. 12-ranked Berry Vikings in four sets.
Berry, which ranks in the top 15 nationally in every major statistical category and leads the nation in blocks per set and kills per set, jumped out to a 22-14 lead in the first set before Southwestern regained its footing, going out a run but dropping the set 25-19.
The Vikings were nearly flawless in their attack for the set, putting down 13 kills with only one attack error in 31 attempts for a .387 hitting percentage.
"We didn't quite get our wheels all going at the same speed, and it took us a while to get on track," Southwestern head volleyball coach Don Flora says. "But the team kept asking the right things of each other during timeouts and between sets, and you could see the collective group dialed into each other."
Southwestern did what it's done all season when playing higher-ranked teams, taking Berry's best shot and learning from it to reach a higher level of volleyball.
The Pirates recorded 17 kills in the second set on a .277 hitting percentage, led by freshman outside hitter Christina Kuras and sophomore middle blocker Andie Valenzuela's four kills each to even the match with a 25-23 win.
"They're a great offensive and defensive team and just had to calibrate a little bit to get going," senior libero Ali Grona said after leading Southwestern with 15 digs. "In the second set, our quality of dig got better, and we kind of got going a little bit."
"We're pleased with our team fighting back after the first set," Flora adds. "We still weren't firing on all cylinders but were able to win the second set, and for that, I'm super proud of them."
In the third set, Southwestern put pressure on Berry, reeling off a 7-2 run to take a 13-11 lead, forcing a Vikings timeout. However, Berry steadied itself from then on, rallying to take a 25-21 victory in the third set. The Vikings' defense ramped up from there, holding Southwestern to just eight kills in the fourth set to clinch the match with a 25-17 win in the final set.
"At that point [after the timeout], they got a little better in-system. Berry did a nice job receiving the ball today. We put some pressure on them serving, but they got a little better in their first-touch receiving, so they were a little more in-system," Flora explains. "The ball was flying a little quicker, and they were getting crisper, and we needed to ascend and match their speed. Give Berry credit, they stuck to their gameplan and did a nice job with their tempo, and I thought their first-touch receiving made the biggest difference."
Berry got 17, 16, and 15 kills from Peyton Breissinger, Molly Bergin, and Jazzy Innis, hitting .310, .273, and .189. The Vikings hit .296 as a team, recording 71 digs and 10 blocks.
All-Region outside hitter Emma White led Southwestern with 11.5 points, scoring 10 kills with a service ace and block assist while contributing 11 digs. Christina Kuras had a team-high 11 kills on a .129 hitting percentage, and Valenzuela had nine kills on a .444 hitting percentage with a solo block and block assist.
"This season we learned we can compete with the best teams in the nation. We've been nationally ranked since Week 2 and this is the first time all of us have played in the NCAA Tournament, so this was new for all of us," White says. "It was really nice to get the at-large bid for our seniors so they could leave with this experience while our freshmen and sophomores know we can come back stronger next year."
Southwestern ends the season with a 25-6 record, including 13-4 in conference play. The Pirates were runners-up in the SCAC Tournament and went 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament.
