Mercer Volleyball Travels to Athens for the Georgia Challenge
9/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University volleyball team faces a trio of intrastate rivals this weekend at the Georgia Challenge. Mercer is one of five programs from the state competing in Athens, joining Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State.
THIS WEEKEND'S MATCHUP
Location: Athens, Ga. | Ramsey Center
Schedule: Thursday, Sept. 3 – 4 p.m. vs. Georgia Tech | LIVE STATS
Friday, Sept. 4 – 1 p.m. vs. Georgia | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Friday, Sept. 4 – 4 p.m. vs. Kennesaw St. | LIVE STATS
Twitter Updates: @MercerBearsVB
NUMBER TO KNOW: 7
Paige Alsten recorded seven blocks in the season opener at Southern Miss. 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 added three blocks against Nicholls State and four versus Southern to give her 14 through three matches.
SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH
The Yellow Jackets enter the Georgia Challenge with a mark of 3-1 after opening the season at the Atlanta Midtown Invite. Georgia Tech recorded straight-set victories over Siena, Tennessee-Martin and The Citadel, while dropping a five-set thriller to Coastal Carolina. Twin sisters Teegan and Annika Van Gunst lead the Yellow Jacket attack, as Teegan leads the squad with 48 kills while Annika ranks second with 42.
SCOUTING GEORGIA
The Bulldogs are a perfect 3-0 after the opening weekend of the regular season. Georgia hosted the Benson Hospitality Invitational and claimed victories over Wofford (3-1), High Point (3-0) and Memphis (3-0). The Bulldogs have a balanced attack, as four players have over 20 kills in 2015. Sophomore Maddie Lobenstein was named the Invite's MVP last weekend, recording 20 kills to go along with a .375 hitting percentage.
SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE
The Owls went 3-0 on the opening weekend and didn't lose a set on their home floor, defeating Alabama State, Savannah State and Jacksonville State. Freshman Sydni Shelton earned Atlantic Sun Co-Freshman of the Week honors for her efforts in the first weekend of the season. Shelton totaled 34 kills with an attack percentage of .623 over the three matches. The freshman had just one error on 53 attempts.
MERCER NOTES
- Mercer has an all-time record of 1-28 against Georgia Tech heading into the weekend. The Bears lone win in the series was a 2-1 victory on Nov. 3, 1982 in a match played in Macon. Georgia Tech won the most recent matchup by a score of 3-0 in 2011.
- The Bulldogs hold a 6-1 advantage in the all-time series with Mercer. However, the Bears were victorious in the most recent meeting, claiming a 3-2 victory over Georgia during the 2011 season.
- Friday's match against Kennesaw State will mark the 13th meeting in the series. Both teams have won six matches coming into the 2015 showdown. The last time the two sides met was in the 2013 season, with Kennesaw State taking both matchups by scores of 3-2.
- Junior libero Tori Penrod was named to the Southern Miss Invitational All-Tournament Team after recording a team-high 51 digs and 16 assists in three matches.
- Penrod totaled five aces in the opening weekend, including at least one in each match. Penrod has an active streak of eight matches with at least one ace.
- Sophomore Morgan MacGilvary leads the Bears in kills with 37 on the season. MacGilvary recorded a career-high 17 kills against Nicholls State.
- Sophomore Claire Waliczek registered two double-double performances in the first three matches. Waliczek now has seven double-doubles in her career.
UP NEXT
The Bears head south next weekend for a pair of matches in DeLand, Fla. Mercer starts the weekend with a match at Stetson on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. ET and then wraps up its stay in the Sunshine State on Saturday, Sept. 12 at noon with a match against Florida International.
Follow the Bears on Twitter at @MercerBearsVB for live updates throughout matches and the season. Live stat and video links will be posted when made available.
