Playing Ripon is something Berlin athletes always say they look forward to, and that is no exception for the volleyball team. However, recent struggles led to the Lady Indians losing three sets to zero against the Tigers. Berlin got off to a slow start with passing errors and miscommunication, ultimately leading to the Ripon girls holding a lead the entire first set and winning 25-12. Junior setter Camille Bruce-DeMuri said one aspect of the team that still needs improvement is the energy at the start of the game.

“We need to work on coming out strong. We often start poor and then gradually get better. If we start off strong we will have a lot more success,” Bruce-DeMuri said.

The second set went slightly better for Berlin but ended in a 25-20 loss for the Lady Indians. Inconsistent floor coverage and hits out of bounds allowed for the Tigers to pull out a 7-2 lead early in the second set. A serve into the net followed by Bruce-DeMuri finding a weak spot in the defense allowed for the Indians to cut the lead down to three, but it wasn’t enough as the Ripon Tigers quickly extended their lead to 11-5 after being able to find the soft spot in the Berlin defense. Coach Eydie Reiser said she liked how the team had some good moments, but was frustrated with how the team was not able to capitalize. 

 “We were able to execute some great offense and put up some good blocking with defense to back it up. We just weren’t able to string those good moments together,” Reiser said. 

The rest of the set was all Ripon with a variety of good kills and Berlin errors. Berlin did attempt to make a late round comeback after a six to three run making the score 24-20 before Ripon ended the set 25-20 after a Berlin serve out of bounds. Junior libero Jenna Nigbor talked about the struggles they had Thursday night on the court. 

“Our biggest struggles were not talking on the court, our tip and block coverage, covering deep corners, and working as a team,” Nigbor said. 

A missed serve by Ripon and two tipped kills by Claire Bartol allowed for Berlin to achieve and maintain a three-point lead for the first half of the last set. However, Ripon quickly battled back after a nine to three run allowing them to gain the lead 13 to 10. After a Berlin time out, Ripon continued to grow their lead by continuing to find the gap in the defense. Berlin tried to make another late game with a six to three run before Ripon ended it 25-22. Moving forward into the season Coach Reiser says the team needs confidence. 

“We have to own our game. And we will,” Coach Reiser said.  

Berlin has an overall record of 3-10 and will take on Oshkosh North on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at Berlin.