ROME, Ga. – The Berry College volleyball team defeated Hendrix College 3-2 on Sunday to become SAA Conference Tournament champions for the second straight year.
The Vikings jumped out to a two-set lead before Hendrix rallied in sets three and four to send the game
to a decisive set five. Led by the 15 kills from Katie O’Rourke and the 44 assists from SAA Conference Player of the Year Stephanie Quinn, the Vikings held on for a 15-11 win in set five.
SAA Coach of the Year Mika Robinson said that the team’s success is a product of all of the hard work put in by every team member.
“What makes winning two years in a row really special is because of the preparation that went in to it and the hard work and dedication that they had in the off-season,” Robinson said.
For the first year, the Vikings are eligible for the NCAA tournament as they will be watching closely on Monday morning to see if they get a bid to go to the regional tournament. If the Vikings do get a bid, this will be the first time that the Vikings volleyball team would compete in the NCAA tournament.
Quinn said that having such an opportunity is difficult to imagine.
“That’s something I actually can’t fathom because we’ve never been a part of anything like that here at Berry. This team is so special and we work so hard and I really think that we can compete going into regionals, so we’ll see,” Quinn said.
The Vikings finished the season with an overall record of 24-7 while Hendrix finished at 20-12. When asked to describe the season in one word, Stephanie Quinn simply said: “priceless.”
For more information on Berry College athletics, go to: www.berryvikings.com or http://vikingfusion.berry.edu/index.php/sports/
Replay of the match: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/40663105
