WHITEWATER, Wis. - The Vikings finished the UW Whitewater invite 2-1. They dominated against the Concordia University Falcons, sweeping the matchup 3-0, and dropped a hotly contested series against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks 2-3.
Game One:
In a competitive first set, Madie Whitehead paved the way for the Vikings, scoring two kills back-to-back to carve out an early two-point advantage. They never lost their poise, maintaining the front and building the lead to a set high of eight points. Scoring four straight with momentum on their side up 23-15, the Vikings looked to make quick work of the Falcons to wrap up the set, but they battled back to close the gap to three before Ava Brovet sealed the deal, doing it all with a clutch block to force an attack error and landing the killing blow to end the set 25-20.
Looking to take a 2-0 lead, the Vikings got onto the board first after Ava Brovet found Madie Whitehead for a kill. Unlike the previous set, the Falcons didn't let Berry get too far out of their reach as both teams battled to 7-7. Concordia began to pull away, creating a four-point deficit to make the score 12-8. Berry didn't let them run away with the contest, as Madie Whitehead and Lura Underwood earned two kills to ground the Falcons on their run, and a service ace brought the deficit back down to just one. Neither team let up down the stretch; the largest lead either side gave up was two until they were tied 23-23. Looking to close coming out of the timeout, Andrea Hurt found none other than Madie Whitehead for game point. Cali Armstead and Ava Brovet held the line for a block to force an attack error to close out the set, ending it 25-23.
Starting the third set, the Falcons looked to keep their night alive with a kill to score the first point of the set, but a series of errors and excellent serves from Ava Brovet saw Berry jump out to an early four-point advantage, the score 5-1. The Falcons went on a 3-0 run to cut the deficit into something more manageable, but the Falcons could never turn the tide in their favor, and Keira Kruk scored the final kill, completing the sweep for the Vikings, the final score 25-19.
Game Two:
In the first set of a promising matchup between two ranked opponents, Ava Brovet found Madie Whitehead to get the Vikings onto the scoreboard with the first kill of the game. Berry came out hot, grabbing control of the game and scoring three straight to go up 4-1 on the second-ranked team in the nation. The Warhawks showed their prowess, however, going on their own run to tie the game back at 4. Despite the effort, the Vikings never lost the lead, going on a run to bring the lead up to a set high of five points, the score 15-10. Maintaining their effort, the Warhawks never went away, chipping away at the score to bring the deficit down to one before a timeout from Berry, the score 21-20. Coming out of the timeout, the Warhawks executed to take their first lead of the set and build a two-point lead before another Berry timeout. With regained confidence, Keira Kruk stepped up out of the timeout and scored two kills to tie the game at 23, forcing the Warhawks to call a timeout. As play resumed, the Vikings kept their poise, and a block by Blakely Barnes and Ava Brovet forced the Warhawks to commit an attack error, bringing Berry back to game point. The set came to an end when the Warhawks had a bad set, giving Berry the point, the final score 26-24.
Following an electric first set, the second set promised to be a battle. The Vikings didn't repeat the start that they had to first set, dropping two points to give the Warhawks an early lead. Their advantage was short-lived as the Vikings battled back to tie the game at five. Berry stole the momentum with an emphatic spike from Madie Whitehead, building the lead to a set high of six points following an attack error, the score 16-10. The Warhawks lived up to their names as they caught fire and scored four straight to prompt a Berry timeout. As play resumed, the Warhawks looked to make things interesting as they brought the deficit down to one, but a bad set and a kill by Cali Armstead sparked a run, scoring three more to make the score 20-15 before the Warhawks called another timeout. Looking to put the finishing touches on the second set, Cali Armstead once again came through with a kill, sparking a 3-1 run to bring the Vikings to game point. Whitewater showed some heart, but Keira Kruk killed their hopes with a kill to finish the set 25-17.
With a 2-0 lead, the Vikings entered the third set looking for their second sweep of the day. The Vikings got off on the right foot, the first point for the set coming from a kill by Lura Underwood, but they couldn't create much of an advantage. Motivated to extend their night, the Warhawks went on an 8-1 run, forcing Berry to call a timeout, the score 11-4. Coming out of the timeout, the Vikings showed new life, forcing an attack error that prompted a 5-2 run. Despite the effort, the Vikings could only bring the deficit back down to three as Whitewater took the set 25-17.
The Warhawks entered the fourth set in do-or-die mode. They were looking to keep their momentum from the last set alive to make things interesting and force a game 5. The Vikings entered the fourth determined to close out the game, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Warhawks fought back to tie the contest at six. Fighting to stay alive, Whitewater went on a 7-1 run, making the score 13-7. The Vikings were able to bring the deficit back down to three, the score 17-20, but the Warhawks closed out the set 25-20.
The Warhawks didn't give up and entered the fifth set with the momentum on their side, but the Vikings struck first, Madie Whitehead earning first blood for the Vikings. The Vikings got the second point on the board with a great serve from Keira Kruk to stretch their lead to two. The Vikings were on track as Madie Whitehead earned another kill to make the score 5-2. Down three and not laying down, the Warhawks scored four unanswered to take the lead, the score 6-5. Recognizing the moment, Blakely Barnes stepped up to stop the bleeding, tying the game at six.
The Warhawks couldn't get anything going as the Vikings' stifling defense forced two attack errors to make the score 8-6 and force Whitewater to call a timeout. The Warhawks resumed play and scored another four unanswered to take a two-point lead and break double digits. The Vikings didn't need to timeout to respond, going on their own 5-0 run to retake the lead, the score 13-10. Berry reached the game point on another service error, but the Warhawks refused to go away, going on a 4-1 run, tying the game at 14. Riding this momentum, the Warhawks scored the last two kills they needed to win 14-16.
Ava Brovet and Madie Whitehead were honored for their terrific weekends by being named to the UW Whitewater Invite All-Tournament Team.
The Vikings return to the Cage on September 12th for the Mount Berry Tournament. They kick things off with a double-header against the LaGrange College Panthers at 2:00 p.m. and the Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m.
