Mercer University
East Tenn. St.
Volleyball Drops A-Sun Opener Versus ETSU, 3-1
9/20/2013 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
MACON, Ga. – Junior setter Carly Iannarino finished just shy of a double-double performance with 41 assists and nine digs, but her effort wasn't enough to hold off East Tennessee State from claiming a 3-1 (25-18, 25-14, 23-25, 25-13) win Friday night's Atlantic Sun volleyball match at Hawkins Arena.
Mercer slipped to 1-10 (0-1 A-Sun) on the year while ETSU jumped to 7-6 (1-0 A-Sun).
Iannarino topped the 40-assist mark for the fourth time this season while aiding sophomore Molly Locke and junior Caroline Carlton to reach double-figure kill outputs. Locke racked up 15 to go along with 12 digs while Carlton registered 10 with three digs.
ETSU scored the final six points of the first set to break away from a slim 19-18 lead, and then cruised to a second-set victory on the strength of a .542 hitting percentage. In the third set, Locke pounded out eight kills and Iannariono dished out 19 assists as the Bears ignited the home crowd. The see-saw stanza featured six lead changes and three tie scores as Mercer battled to stay alive. ETSU stole back momentum in the fourth set, racing out to a 7-1 lead on its way to clinching the win.
Mercer is back in A-Sun action on Saturday, hosting USC Upstate at 3 p.m.
