Mercer University
Col. of Charleston
Volleyball Captures Team Title at CofC Invite
8/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Mercer volleyball team captured the team title at the College of Charleston Invite with a split against the College of Charleston and Davidson on Saturday. The Bears went 2-1 at the event, with junior Molly Locke earning Tournament MVP recognition and senior Caroline Carlton and sophomore Tori Penrod taking home All-Tournament team selections.
Mercer blanked the Colonial Athletic Association preseason favorites CofC in the first match of the day 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 28-26) before falling to Davidson 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-23).
Mercer's second day at the event got off to a rousing start as the Bears downed a strong CofC team in convincing fashion. Highlighting the victory was Locke's 14-kill, 11-dig double-double double performance.
Thanks to a stout defense, the Bears got off to a quick start against the Cougars by limiting the tournament hosts to a paltry .174 hitting percentage in the first set. The frame was played to an even 24-24 score before junior Monica Johnson smashed a kill and the Bears captured the set via a ball handling error by CofC's Bailey Humes.
The second set against the Cougars saw Mercer holding a slim 23-22 edge before going to Locke for a pair of kills to end the stanza. The third frame was hotly contested as well, with 10 tie scores and two lead changes leading up to a 26-26 tie. The Bears were able to ultimately triumph as CofC attacking error and a kill by sophomore Hannah Noon put the match away for good.
Freshman Claire Walizcek dished out a match-high 23 assists and finished just shy of a double-double with nine digs in the victory. Freshman Emily Krogman was particularly efficient offensively, converting six of her 13 attack attempts into kills for a .385 attacking percentage.
Against Davidson, seniors Carlton and Cara Tripp were both effective on the offensive end. Carlton hammered down nine kills on 15 attempts with a single error while Tripp posted nine kills on 15 attempts with only two miscues.
Freshman Morgan MacGilvary also made her presence felt against the Wildcats, registering nine kills on 26 swings.
The Wildcats used a five-point run early in the first frame to gain separation and run away with the set. In the second frame, Mercer held an 18-17 lead before the Wildcats ripped off four-straight points to take control. The final set saw the teams knotted at 22-22 before Davidson scored on back-to-back plays and ultimately won 25-23.
Penrod collected 12 kills and three assists in the losing effort.
Mercer returns to action at the Troy Invitational on Thursday and Friday. The Bears are set to play South Carolina State, Troy, Jacksonville State and Alabama A&M at the event.
