(Story Courtesy of Trinity University Sports Information Department)
MOUNT BERRY, Ga. -- No. 11 Tiger Volleyball punched their ticket to the regional final with an electric win over No. 10 Berry in five sets.
The Rundown
This No. 10 versus No. 11 match up got underway with the Vikings jumping out to a 3-0 lead. The Tigers would get their scoring started when Courtney Pope and Maddie Fate put a Viking attack back where it came from. The Vikings would extend their lead to 4-7 after a three-point run. The Tigers would tie the match up after a three-point swing capped off by a Brette Thornton and Mackenzie Logan block. The Tigers would take the lead for a short moment but a 6-1 run by Berry would give the Vikings the lead 20-14. The Tigers would try to climb back into the set but Berry would take the set, 19-25.
The second set would get started with another kill by the hot-handed Maddie Fate. The Tigers would get out to a 3-1 lead and the seesaw battle would commence. The Vikings would trade points all the way till it was 14-13, in favor of the good guys. A slam by Pope would give the Tigers a two-point cushion and that's all they would need in the set. The Tigers would take their two-point margin to the end of the set. The Tigers would not play with their food in this set as two kills from Pope and a rocket by Logan brought the Tigers to set point. After a crucial ball-handling mistake by Berry, the Tigers would take the set 25-19.
The Tigers stayed on the attack in the third set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. Berry would make a short run, but the Tigers stayed on the gas pedal and went on a 7-5 run to extend their lead to six points. Again, Berry would make a short run but the Tigers were locked in during the set with six unanswered points. A 10-4 run by Berry got the Tigers a little shaken up during the set, but the Tigers were looking at set point. A Marisa Amarino push-set to the outside would set up a perfectly executed cross-court shot by Reagan Whatley to give the Tigers the set, 25-20.
The fourth set was even more back-and-forth for the two squads. The Tigers would take a three-point lead, 9-6 early in the set. However, the Tigers would take back the lead after a four-point run. The Tigers would continue the seesaw battle, regaining the lead but Berry would hit their stride with a 7-1 run and take a 16-14 lead. The Tigers would battle their hearts out but ultimately Berry would take the set 2-2, and the evenly-matched squads would head to the coveted fifth set.
The fifth set was not looking good for the Tigers, as Berry climbed out to a huge 2-7 lead. However, this was a moment that the Tigers were prepared for. The Tigers dug in and started clawing away. Of course, the run would get started by the energizer bunny herself, fifth-year Brette Thornton. The Tigers would continuously cut the lead down point by point until they came within one. The Vikings would try to set their right side, but the Tiger block was right there. Fate and Whatley combined to put the ball back to the floor and sent the Berry crowd into a stunned silence. The Vikings and Tigers would continue to battle until the score stood at 13-12, in favor of the good guys. Amarino would set a set to Logan, and Logan would jump to the moon and send a laser shot to the hands of a frightened Viking defender and the Tigers would take the point. As Whatley stepped to the service line, there was a deep breath taken by the Tiger team and fans. Whatley would serve the ball, Berry would bounce it around and try to send it over, but Fate was right there to send the ball into the middle of the Viking defense and the Tiger bench would erupt because the Tigers had taken the set and the match, 15-12.
Courtney Pope would tie her career-high in kills with 13, Logan would have 12, and Thornton would collect 10. Fate would have a game defensively with six total blocks.
Up Next - Regional Final
With the win, the Tigers advance to the regional final where they will play against the Emory Eagles tomorrow at 4:00 PM.
