Mercer University
Southern Mississippi
Mercer Drops Heartbreaker in Season Opener at Southern Miss
8/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Mercer University volleyball team suffered a hard-fought, five-set loss in its season opener on Friday to the Golden Eagles in the Southern Miss Invitational.
TURNING POINT
Mercer could not have asked for a better start to the first match of the year, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead after winning the first two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-23. Momentum swung in the third set, as the hosts built a 14-8 lead midway through the frame. Mercer fought back and drew within one point at 15-16 but could not tie or regain the lead as the Golden Eagles took the set 25-19. After taking the third, Southern Miss went on to complete the comeback by winning the fourth set 25-17 before closing out the match with a 15-10 victory in the fifth.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Morgan MacGilvary had her best night in a Mercer uniform on Friday, as the sophomore recorded career highs in kills and digs. MacGilvary paced the Bears' attack with 15 kills and added 15 digs for the first double-double of her career. The Plano, Texas native also recorded a block to cap off her performance.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Paige Alsten became just the second Mercer true freshman in the last eight seasons to record at least seven blocks in a match, joining teammate Emily Krogman who accomplished the feat last season against UNC Greensboro (11/22/15). Alsten also added eight kills, the most for a freshman in the season opener since Molly Locke totaled nine in 2012 against Furman (8/31).
NOTABLES
- Sophomore Claire Waliczek registered her first double-double of the season with a team-high 18 assists and 13 digs. The double-double is the sixth of her career.
- Junior libero Tori Penrod posted a team-high 21 digs on Friday, marking the 10th time Penrod has reached or exceeded the 20-dig mark.
- The Bears totaled six aces on the evening with Penrod and Emily Krogman leading the way with two apiece.
- Alsten and freshman Heather Swann both earned starts in their first collegiate match. Maria Avramova and Danielle Faust also made their Mercer debut in the opener.
- Friday's five-set match was Mercer's first five-setter to open a season in the last 10 seasons.
COACH ELDER'S TAKE
"The team played with full energy and determination. Losing our experienced outside hitter Ellie James on the last few points of the second set didn't give us the chance to get over the last little hurdle we needed to win tonight. Southern Miss was fired up and played well so I'm happy with the match." – Mercer Head Coach Damian Elder
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer begins the season with a record of 0-1, while Southern Miss starts 1-0 to open the season.
UP NEXT
The Bears will wrap up their stay in Mississippi with two matches on Saturday against Nicholls State at 11 a.m. ET and Southern at 4:30 p.m.
STAY SOCIAL
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