MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - Viking volleyball did not disappoint in their home opener today, impressing the Viking faithful with two convincing wins over LaGrange and Texas Lutheran.
Game One: Berry 3 – LaGrange 0
The 2026 Cage Center debut for Berry began with a Lura Underwood strike to take an early 1-0 lead over the Panthers. The Panthers quickly answered with three consecutive points of their own to take a 3-1 lead. Unfazed, the Vikings responded with a 4-1 run of their own, powered by hard-nosed front-line play from Underwood. The two teams dueled throughout the first set, with neither side surrendering an inch to the other. Star junior libero Andrea Hurt would step in to create some much-needed separation in the first set, helping the Vikings to a 12-9 advantage with her nifty back-line prowess and protection. Down the stretch of the first set, the two teams continued to play tug-of-war, leaving the score at 24-24. Calmly understanding what was needed, junior Keira Kryk stepped in for two huge kills, courtesy of two textbook sets from freshman phenom Ava Brovet to take a crucial 26-24 first set victory.
About midway through the second set, the Berry crowd could feel the momentum of the match slowly but surely tilt into the favor of the ladies in blue and white, as Ailee England rattled off two straight service aces followed by an error from LaGrange that gave Berry a 12-7 lead. Berry would never look back, as they relied on the hard-hitting Madie Whitehead to carry them to a 25-14 set two victory. Things did not get any better for the Panthers in the third set, as England, Underwood, and Maddie Dahl would shut the door for a 3-0 victory over the Panthers.
Game Two: Berry 3 – Texas Lutheran 1
Poised to close out their first day in the Cage with a win in game two of their doubleheader, the Vikings raced out to a 10-5 lead behind a balanced attack with five different Vikings scoring in the early goings of set one. Brovet's perennial ability as a setter gave the Bulldogs the blues, as she assisted Underwood and Whitehead to spearhead a 14-8 lead. The balanced offense and tenacious was a lethal combination, as the Vikings held the Bulldogs scoreless and scored four straight points to close the set with a 25-18 set one victory. Texas Lutheran showed no signs of quitting despite facing a top 25 opponent, racing out to a 6-4 lead in the second set. Some strong offense from the Bulldogs then stunned the Vikings, giving them a 17-13 advantage. The war machine in the Vikings woke up shortly after though, as they answered with three consecutive points, with Ava Brovet being involved in all three as a scorer or assister. Texas Lutheran did not blink though, as the valiant comeback effort fell just short, with a 25-22 victory in the second set for the Bulldogs.
Berry then made up their minds that it was time to take over the Cage Center again. Set three was tight up until midway through, when the sleeping giant in the Vikings arose. With a 16-12 lead, freshman slugger Cali Armstead jumped through the roof of the Cage Center for two huge kills that pushed the Vikings lead to 19-12, taking the life out of the eager Bulldogs. That spark from Armstead set the tone for the remainder of the set, as the crowd became engaged once again, drowning out Texas Lutheran for a 25-15 set three win. History would repeat itself in the fourth set, as it was Kruk and Underwood pacing the Vikings and freshman Izzy Baldwin who delivered the final knockout blow to lead the Vikings to a 25-15 set four victory and their seventh win of the season.
The Vikings will look to make it a three-game win streak tomorrow in the Cage Center as they battle No. 6 Emory University in what is sure to be must-see TV at 3:30 PM ET.
