GEORGETOWN, TEXAS -  Southwestern University Volleyball team was back in Georgia for another SAA Pod match-up, the Pirates faced their hardest battle yet in conference play against #15 Berry College for game one. Southwestern fought hard ultimately dropping to the Vikings in three sets, 18-25 for set one, 23-25 in set two, and 24-26 in the final set. Volleyball then turned around with little time to take on Rhodes College for game two of the day. The Lynx were no match for the Pirates as Southwestern dominated them in a three set sweep to add another conference win to their overall record! 

"Every highly competitive match has its ebbs and its flows. Our first match against Barry College was one where one play or two plays in a set made the difference in the outcome of the match. Handling the moments in big matches is something that we always want to have in this program. We did some nice things defensively behind our block, but there are some areas with our first touches (serving, passing and digging) that we need to handle better." stated head coach Don Flora. 

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS

• Freshman Tatum Ahrens put on a show collecting eleven kills hitting a .333% while adding one blocks, one service ace and nine digs for 12.5 points

• Izzy Rodriguez added twenty more digs to her career stats which led the Pirates for the match

GAME 1 NOTES

• Southwestern out dug Berry 57-45 for the match

• Pirate attackers were tested at the net as Vikings defenders racked up ten blocks, seven more than the Pirates

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS

• The Pirates were led by junior Kendall Jurgens who tallied nine kills and a .643 hitting percentage 

• Freshman setter Taylor Johnson was on a roll racking up sixteen assists, six service aces, and eight digs

• Lily McWhorter had another impressive showing at the net contributing four block assists and six kills

GAME 2 NOTES

• As a team the Pirates collected thirty-four kills in the match with seventeen errors

• Southwestern blocked eight Lynx attack attempts, limiting Rhodes hitting percentage to .058% for the match

Following the conclusion of game two head coach Don Flora stated "Having a very short turnaround time from our first match into the Rhodes college match can sometimes be very difficult. Our coaching staff was pleased with how we handled our nutrition, hydration, and our preparation for this competitive match. We did a nice job with our blocking and defense in this match and we also took care of the ball in our serving in a much more impactful way toward the outcome of the match. Our middle hitter's made a much greater impact on Rhodes and we are proud of that hard work." 

UP NEXT

• Southwestern will be back in Mount Berry, Georgia for their final game of the SAA Berry Pod where they take on Centre College at 9:30 AM (CST).