Mercer University
Troy
Volleyball Falls in Troy Invitational Opener
9/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – Mercer junior Molly Locke posted her third double-double of the young season as the volleyball team fell in five sets to Troy, 3-2 (33-31, 25-15, 23-25, 21-15, 15-9) in Thursday night's opener of the Troy Invitational.
Mercer fell to 2-2 on the season while Troy improved to 5-1.
Locke's 18 kills came with just six errors on 50 swings for a .240 hitting percentage. Junior Monica Johnson added 15 kills with only four errors on 34 attempts while senior Caroline Carlton piled up 13 kills with just five miscues.
Sophomore Tori Penrod tallied a match-high 28 digs on the back line to go along with three assists. Freshman Claire Walizcek dished out 34 assists and notched 15 digs for her second double-double of the year.
The first frame set the tone for the remainder of the match, as the Bears and Trojans battled through 13 ties and six lead changes and the scoreboard moved into the 30's. With the match knotted at 31-31, a pair of Mercer errors finally secured the set for Troy.
In the second set, Troy took an initial 5-1 lead before the Bears rallied to pull even at 7-7. The hosts buckled down from that point on, scoring the next three points and never allowing Mercer within two scores before the conclusion of the set.
In the third set Mercer was again forced to mount a comeback after Troy took an early 5-0 lead. The Bears responded with a 9-4 run to tie matters at 9-9, and later the score reflected a 23-23 tie before back-to-back kills by Locke and Carlton sealed the victory.
The fourth set saw Mercer break away from a 22-21 lead with three-straight points. The deciding frame was tied at 2-2 before Troy scored five-straight points to assume control.
