Mercer University
Samford
Bears Remain Perfect at Home with 3-1 Win Over Samford
10/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
MACON, Ga. – In front of a frenzied crowd, the Mercer volleyball team kept its home unbeaten streak alive on Friday evening, defeating Samford by a final score of 3-1 to improve to 7-0 in Hawkins Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears got off to a slow start, as Samford's attack was too much for Mercer in the first frame and the Bulldogs took the opener 25-20. The Orange and Black responded in the second and won the set 25-21 to level the match at a set apiece.
After the 10-minute intermission Mercer played one of its best sets of the season. The Bears dominated the action and won handily 25-15 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The fourth set was tight throughout but with Mercer trailing 19-20 the Bears went on a 6-0 scoring run to close out the match and secure the 3-1 victory.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Freshman Paige Alsten turned in another great performance at the net on both offense and defense. The middle blocker turned in six kills on just 10 attempts while making one error for a hitting percentage of .500. Alsten was even more influential from a defensive aspect, blocking a team-high five attempts to help stall the Samford attack. Alsten also added a dig on the evening.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Junior Tori Penrod entered Friday one dig shy of the 1,000 dig milestone. Early in the first set the junior recorded a dig to reach the impressive plateau. Penrod finished with a team-high 15 digs in the match. Penrod has totaled double-digit digs in all 17 matches she has played this season. Penrod also added five assists to complete her match.
NOTABLES
- With the victory, the Bears remain undefeated at home with a record of 7-0, the best start to a season in over 10 years.
- The victory gives the Bears a season-high four match win streak.
- Mercer is now 7-25 in the all-time series against Samford and has won the last two matches against the Bulldogs in Hawkins Arena.
- The Bears served up 10 aces on the night, becoming the first team in the SoCon in 2015 to record 10 or more aces in three matches.
- Setters Hannah Noon and Claire Waliczek each reached double figures in assists. Noon posted a match-high 17 and Waliczek added 15.
- MacGilvary's nine kills tied for the team lead. The sophomore has now led or tied for the team lead in the category in 15 of 20 matches.
- MacGilvary had a career-high four aces and has now recorded at least one ace in six consecutive matches.
- With a team-high five blocks Alsten has now had multiple blocks in 15 consecutive matches and 18-of-20 matches on the season.
- Monica Johnson tied for the team lead for the second straight match in kills with nine.
- Heather Swann posted a career high in aces with three and added four kills.
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer's fourth straight victory pushes its record to 9-11 on the season and 4-4 in league action. The Bulldogs fall to 8-8 on the year and 3-3 in Southern Conference play.
UP NEXT
The Orange and Black is back on the floor Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. Mercer welcomes Furman to Hawkins Arena for the second matchup between the two sides this season.
STAY SOCIAL
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