GEORGETOWN, TEXAS -  The Southwestern University volleyball team battled nationally ranked No. 14 Berry College through five intense sets on Sunday afternoon but ultimately fell just short in a 3–2 decision (23–25, 25–23, 25–18, 21–25, 5–15). The Pirates showcased their resilience and balance throughout the match, rallying after dropping the opening set to claim the next two and push the nationally ranked Vikings to the limit. 

"We reached a point in the match where we found our rhythm and had things moving in the right direction," head coach Don Flora said. "At that stage, it's about maintaining focus, executing from play to play, and sustaining that momentum — and we let it slip away from us. When two quality teams compete at a high level, the margins are very small, and we needed to capitalize on a few key moments in the middle of the fourth set to keep the pressure on Berry."

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Tatum Ahrens led the way with 16 kills, while Emily Marks added 15 and Kendall Jurgens chipped in 9 to round out the offensive effort. 

• Annika Flora paced the attack with 24 assists and added 16 digs for a double-double, while Taylor Johnson contributed 19 assists.

GAME NOTES

• Defensively, Izzy Rodriguez anchored the back row with 17 digs, while Brooklyn Spikes was a force at the net, tallying 4 blocks. 

• Lily McWhorter added 3 aces and 3 blocks, providing energy on both ends of the court.

• Southwestern hit .184 as a team, highlighted by an efficient .289 clip in the third set, their strongest offensive frame of the day. The fifth set proved challenging as the Pirates hit -.048, unable to overcome Berry's late surge.

UP NEXT 

• Southwestern will return to action on Friday, October 24th, for its final home match of the regular season, taking on No. 10 Trinity University inside the Robertson Center. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m.