Mercer University
Kennesaw St.
Bears Pick up Huge 3-2 Win over Kennesaw State
10/13/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
KENNESAW, Ga. – Freshman Molly Locke and senior Jamie Duffy each posted double-doubles to lift the Mercer volleyball team to a gutsy 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 25-12, 25-11, 15-8) win over in-state rival Kennesaw State on Saturday afternoon at the KSU Convocation Center.
Mercer (8-11, 4-5 A-Sun) now moves up to fifth-place in the A-Sun Conference standings with the win as the Bears hit the mid-way point of their league slate. The victory was also the first for the Orange and Black over Kennesaw State (15-9, 4-5 A-Sun) since 2008.
Locke paced the Mercer attack with a game-high 16 kills to go along with 15 digs for her team-leading 10th double-double of the season. Duffy was not too far behind, racking up 11 kills and a team-best 19 digs to complete her sixth double-double of the 2012 campaign.
Sophomore Caroline Carlton matched her career-high with 15 kills for the second-straight match, while senior Monica Sanchez handed out 51 assists, the third time the Schaumburg, Ill. native has topped 50 assists this season.
After both teams' split the first four sets of the match, it all came down to the fifth and final set. Mercer got off to a quick start, using kills from Carlton and senior Charlayna Braxton to take an early 2-0 lead. The Owls fought right back, however, taking the next two points to even the score up at 2-2.
A service error by Kennesaw State allowed Mercer head coach Damian Elder to make a crucial substitution, subbing junior Carly Iannarino into the match. The move paid major dividends for the Bears, as they won four-straight points off Iannarino's serve to take a 7-2 lead.
The two teams traded the next few points to make the score 10-5, but that would be as close as Kennesaw State would get in the deciding set. Mercer won five out of the next eight points, including two by way of Locke kills, to secure the 15-8 fifth-set win.
"Offensively, I thought this was our best match of the season because we were on point from the start and our setting was exactly where we needed it to be all day long," Elder said. "I am proud of the girls for the way they came out to finish this long road trip we were on and this is a huge win for us because it keeps us in the running to make the A-Sun Championship."
Mercer returns to the court at home on October 16 to host USC-Upstate on Dig Pink Night for Breast Cancer Awareness. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Hawkins Arena.
