MOUNT BERRY, Georgia – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor volleyball team started the day with a four-set win and then gave the #9 team in the country all it could handle on its home floor as the Cru split two matches Friday in Georgia. The two matches are part of the Berry College National Invitational in Mount Berry, Georgia. UMHB is now 3-3 on the season with all three losses coming to nationally-ranked opponents.
 
UMHB opened the day with a 3-1 win over Endicott College, 25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 25-15. Neither team led by more than four points in a tight first set before the Cru held off an Endicott rally to win. UMHB opened the second set with a 7-2 run and then survived another late rally to take a 2-0 lead. The third game was also back-and-forth before the Gulls took the two-point win. The Cru would lead 15-13 in the final set before Kayla Janikula served seven straight points as UMHB pulled out to a commanding and put the match away. Miranda Klein topped the Cru with 16 kills and Jenna Gillean and Corinne Novak added 13 each. Haleigh Evans led five players in double figures with 19 digs and Cory Jo Martin recorded 51 assists. UMHB hit .267 as a team and registered 14 total team blocks in a solid performance at the net.
 
The Cru then immediately turned around and took tournament host and 9^th-ranked Berry College to five sets before falling 3-2 in a rematch of last year's NCAA Regional Semifinals. The Vikings fought off a scrappy UMHB effort 28-26, 14-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-13 to stay unbeaten on the season. The Cru fought back from a 19-15 deficit in the opening set and then traded points with Berry until the Vikings put together consecutive points for the first time since scoring three in a row at 15-14. The Cru controlled the second set and led by as many as six points before taking the third. Berry, playing its first match of the day took advantage of its fresher legs to win the fourth set and the fifth set see-sawed the whole way with neither team opening up more than a two-point lead. Novak, Gillean and Sarah Paolini had seven kills apiece as UMHB was limited to a hitting percentage of 0.80. Gillean added 23 digs and Klein recorded 20. Martin has a team-best 26 assists. The Cru added 10 team blocks and nine service aces and took advantage of 25 service errors from the Vikings.
 
The Cru will close out the tournament with two more matches on Saturday. UMHB will face Transylvania University at 10 am Central Time before taking on Christopher Newport University at 12 pm CT. The Cru will open American Southwest Conference play at Howard Payne University Tuesday evening in Brownwood.