Mercer to Face ETSU, Chattanooga on Road Trip

MACON, Ga. – With eight Southern Conference matches remaining in the regular season, it's officially crunch time for Mercer over the next four weeks of play. The Bears (12-8, 4-4 SoCon) hit the road for Tennessee this weekend to take on ETSU and Chattanooga, starting with a 6 p.m. contest against the Buccaneers (16-4, 6-2) on Friday, Oct. 21 in Johnson City before facing the Mocs (11-10, 4-4 SoCon) on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. in Chattanooga.

Mercer enters the weekend with a two-match win streak, having defeated Furman and The Citadel at Hawkins Arena within the last six days. However, in order to keep its place in the SoCon hunt, Mercer must improve its 2-5 record on the road against a pair of conference foes that rarely lose with home court advantage. The Bears' counterparts own an impressive combined home record of 15-2, including ETSU's undefeated mark of 6-0 at J. Madison Brooks Gym.

FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Friday, Oct. 21 | 6 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-8, 4-4 SoCon) at ETSU (14-6, 6-2 SoCon)
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | J. Madison Brooks Gymnasium
Live Stats: ETSUBucs.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerBearsVB

SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Saturday, Oct. 22 | 6 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-8, 4-4 SoCon) at Chattanooga (11-10, 4-4 SoCon)
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. | Maclellan Gym
Live Stats: GoMocs.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerBearsVB

NOTABLES

Mercer is locked in a three-way tie for fifth place in the SoCon and is 6-4 in its last 10 matches played.
One win this weekend would mark Mercer's most victories (13) for in a single season under head coach Damian Elder. He's reached 12 wins twice at Mercer; in 2011 and 2016.
Mercer is one of three conference teams to have at least 160 total blocks this season and will likely receive a boost in the category with the return of sophomore middle blocker Paige Alsten (61.0 total blocks).
Senior libero Tori Penrod continues to rank among conference and national leaders in the digs category. Her 395 total digs and 5.00 digs per set average both rank second in the SoCon and 28th and 32nd, respectively, on the national leaderboard.
Mercer's kills leader, Morgan MacGilvary, has reached 12 kills in 12 straight matches. She ranks ninth among SoCon players in hitting percentage (.276) and sixth in kills per set (3.23).
Emily Krogman leads all SoCon players with 30 aces and an average of 0.38 aces per set. MacGilvary ranks third with 23 aces and fourth with 0.29 aces per set.
Claire Waliczek owns seven double-doubles this season, the most of any Bear. She notched 24 assists and 10 digs against The Citadel on Tuesday.

SCOUTING THE BUCCANEERS
The Buccaneers, winners of five straight, are the SoCon's hottest team. After being picked to finish in a tie for fifth place among SoCon teams in the preseason poll, ETSU finds itself at the top of the conference standings with a 6-2 league mark. Friday's match will feature the league's top-two hitting percentage teams – ETSU is No. 1 (.245) and Mercer is No. 2 (.218).

ETSU is led by the two-time defending SoCon Offensive Player of the Week, outside hitter Briana Allmon. The senior had 41 kills along with a .271 hitting percentage to help ETSU to three SoCon wins over Chattanooga, Wofford and Western Carolina.

The Bucs are the only conference foe Mercer has yet to face this season. The Bears trail in the all-time series, 5-14, and have lost eight straight dating back to 2012.

SCOUTING THE MOCS
Chattanooga handed Mercer its only home loss of the season in straight sets on Saturday, Oct. 1. The Mocs finished the match with a .411 hitting percentage as Mercer struggled to find any answer defensively. The Bears trail Chattanooga 9-14 in the all-time series and have dropped the last three head-to-head contests dating back to last season.

After winning its next two SoCon matches over Wofford and Western Carolina, Chattanooga has since faltered, losing three straight to the likes of ETSU, UNCG and Samford. The Mocs host The Citadel on Friday before Mercer arrives in Chattanooga on Saturday.

Defensive specialist/libero Rachel Petkosh is third among SoCon players with an average of 4.69 digs per set.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Volleyball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBearsVB (Twitter), and @mercervolleyball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

Mercer to Face ETSU, Chattanooga on Road Trip

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Players Mentioned

Paige Alsten

Emily Krogman

Morgan MacGilvary

Tori Penrod

Claire Waliczek

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