MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – Centre volleyball pulled off its second top-ten victory of the 2026 season as the no. 14 Colonels knocked off the no. 8 Berry Vikings in a five-set thriller to improve to 11-1 this season and 3-1 in SAA play.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- The opening set was the closest of the entire match as the two teams traded the lead multiple times. Centre pulled away towards the end of the set, taking their largest lead at 22-16 on a kill from
Abby Swartz. The Vikings fought off a handful of set points, but the Colonels eventually prevailed 25-23.
- In the second set, the score remained close as neither team could gain a massive edge. With the score tied 14-14, Berry heated up and outscored Centre 11-4 the rest of the way to even the match with a 25-14 win.
- The third set belonged to the Vikings as they used an early 6-0 run to take the lead and never looked back, cruising to a 25-14 victory to put Centre's backs against the wall.
- Needing a win to extend the match, Centre fell behind early in the fourth set. The Colonels chipped away at the Berry lead, eventually going ahead 19-18 on a kill by
Syd Bietz. That ended up giving Centre the lead for good as they closed the set with a 10-2 run to win 25-20, with
Kendra Christopher putting home the final kill.
- The Colonels finally got off to a good start in the fifth set as they scored the first three points. Although Berry would eventually tie the score, they would never surge ahead as Centre held off the Vikings in the end, winning 15-12 on a tandem block by Bietz and
Elise Grundy for the winning point.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Christopher led all players with 18 kills on the night, followed by Bietz with 17. Bietz also led the Colonels with 21 digs.
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Elle B Smith paced the Colonels with 48 assists, finishing one shy of Berry's team total.
- Centre saved its best offensive effort for the very end, hitting a game high .308 in the third set to pull off the victory.
NEXT UP
Centre volleyball will wrap up their Berry trip on Saturday as they face Oglethorpe and Maryville in a Saturday doubleheader.
