Sewanee, TN- The volleyball began a two-day road trip this evening as their season winds down. The team dipped out of conference for today's action, as they played the Sewanee Tigers in Tennessee.
Destiney Balser's kill cut the 2-0 Tigers' lead in half and the first set shortly became tied at four each off an Isis Hill kill. A kill from Katherine Gonterman ended a five point streak for Sewanee, changing the score to 9-5. Kristin Barnes' kill made the score 10-6 until the Tigers scored eight straight points to move ahead 18-6. The deficit was too much for the Mountaineers to overcome, falling in the set 25-11.
Kills from Hill and Barnes kept Berea within three points of the lead with the score 7-4 early in the second set. A second kill from Barnes in the set followed by a service ace by her brought the Mountaineers back within three points of the deficit after the team had fallen behind by five, making the score 10-7. As Sewanee looked like they were going to take the second set by a comfortable margin with the score 23-12, kills from Gonterman, Hill and Barnes aided Berea in scoring six straight points to pull within five, 23-18. Unfortunately, the Mountaineers could not complete the comeback, dropping the second set 25-19.
The offensive momentum did not carry over to the third set for Berea as the Tigers scored the first four points in the set. Barnes' kill broke the scoreless streak for the Mountaineers, changing the score to 4-1 in the opening segments of the set. The ball did not continue to fall in Berea's favor though as the Tigers took the third set by a 25-11 score, winning the match 3-0.
Barnes finished as the kills leader for the Mountaineers with seven while Balser finished with 12 assists. Barnes, Hill and Eliza Lavin each finished with a service ace in the match. Bailie Parker led the team with 14 digs on the defensive end.
Berea concludes their road trip and the regular season in LaGrange, GA to play in a tri-match consisting of two other USA South teams. Hosted by LaGrange College, the Mountaineers will face the hosts in the first match of the day at 12:00 PM, followed by their concluding match of the tri-match and their final contest of the season against Agnes Scott College at 2:00 PM. Information for live video and statistics can be found at the home of the Mountaineers, www.bereaathletics.com.