ATLANTA, Ga. --- The Washington and Lee volleyball team suffered a 25-21, 25-23, 27-25 loss to Berry in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at Emory University.

After dropping a tightly-contested first set, the Generals (28-7) stormed out to a 15-8 lead in the second set only to see the Vikings (26-7) tie the set at 17-17 a few moments later.  W&L fought back out to a 22-21 lead, but Berry closed by scoring four of the last five points to assume a 2-0 lead in the match.

Neither team led by more than three points in the final set though the Generals held a 21-18 advantage following a kill by sophomore outside hitter Anna Lausberg (Ocoee, Fla. / Bishop Moore Catholic).  The Vikings tied it at 22-22 and there were three more ties before Berry scored two straight points to end the match with a 27-25 score in the third set.

Washington and Lee posted a .231 hitting percentage in the match led by 12 kills in 23 attempts from senior outside hitterAllison Rouse (Troy, Mich. / Troy).  She also posted seven digs and one service ace.  Lausberg notched eight kills, five digs and two blocks, while senior outside hitter M.A. Boles (Houston, Texas / St. John's) ended her record-breaking career with eight kills, seven digs and one service ace.  Senior setter Meghan Meleski (Richmond, Va. / Mills Godwin) chipped in 32 assists, six digs and two service aces, while junior libero Kelly McManus(Osprey, Fla. / Pine View) recorded 12 digs.

Berry was led by Emily Stromberg, who notched 12 kills and 11 digs.  Anna Keappler added 10 kills and 12 digs, while Stephanie Quinn registered 40 assists.

The Vikings advance to the second round where they will face the winner of a match between Emory and Agnes Scott.  The Generals have now completed their season after claiming their 14th ODAC Championship and second in a row.

--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University sports information department. ---
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