POSTMATCH PRESS CONFERENCE
Atlanta, Ga. – The Transylvania volleyball team came up short against the No. 12 Berry College Vikings in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Championships on Thursday afternoon, dropping a tightly-contested 21-25, 29-31, 23-25 final to the Vikings at the Woodruff P.E. Center on the campus of Emory University.
Transylvania's second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament ended in the first round against the Vikings, who improved to 26-2 on the season while the Pioneers' season drew to a close with an overall record of 23-13.
Facing off for the second time in the fall 2021 season, the Pioneers looked to upend the Vikings, who had previously squeezed out a five-set victory earlier in September in the regular-season installment of their matchup.
The Pioneers held a lead late in all three sets on Thursday in the tournament opener, but the Vikings were able to close out three set victories with a combination of clutch runs.
Sylvie Miller led the Pioneers with 15 kills for an efficient .462 hitting percentage while adding eight digs in her second career NCAA Tournament appearance. Suzanne Klosterman had a loud afternoon for Transylvania, ringing up 14 kills along with six digs and two blocks.
The Pioneers entered the afternoon intent on advancing to their second straight NCAA Tournament second-round appearance, using a string of three straight points to achieve a 17-14 lead in the first set.
Kayden Holcomb had four of her six kills in the opening stretch to lead the Pioneer front line attack. Berry inched into the Pioneer advantage at 18-17, but the Vikings sent a serve into the net to give the Pioneers another two-point cushion. The Vikings responded with three straight points to grab a 20-19 lead, but another service error and an accompanying kill by Cate Scheper put the Pioneers back ahead at 21-20.
Berry made a game-changing surge, scoring five straight points to close out the first set and gain a crucial 1-0 set lead heading into the second set.
The Pioneers quickly shook off the set one result, using a 6-0 run to climb out to a 12-7 advantage. Klosterman provided consistent hitting along the right side to give the Pioneers momentum. Berry eventually sliced away at Transy's lead, drawing within one point at 17-16 before the Pioneers scored three of the next four points to remain in front.
The lead continued to see-saw back and forth deep into the second set: Sylvie Miller delivered a kill to give Transy set point at 25-24, but the Vikings answered back to tie it up at 25-all. After a Berry serving error, the Pioneers held a 27-26 advantage, but the Vikings scored the next two straight points. Transy fought off set points at 28-27 and 29-28, but two late Pioneer errors spotted the Vikings a 31-29 victory.
Behind hot hitting from both teams, the third set also went down to the wire as the Pioneers notched 18 kills and Berry tallied a .298 attacking percentage in the frame. Transy's final lead came at 21-20 on another Miller kill, but Berry outscored the Pioneers, 5-2 the rest of the way to complete a grueling sweep.
Grace Ward completed a memorable sophomore season with a team-high 40 assists, adding 12 digs in defeat. Ava Beltsos led a balanced backline attack with a match-high 16 digs as the Pioneers outdug Berry, 62-56 on the afternoon.
The Pioneers' 2021 NCAA Tournament run signs off on a season for Transy which included its third straight HCAC Conference Tournament Championship, its third season with 20 wins or more over the last four full seasons, and the third straight season in which the Pioneers have been ranked within the AVCA Top 25 during the season.
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