Mercer Returns to Hawkins on Saturday, Hosts Samford

MACON, Ga. – There's nothing like home, or so is the case for the Mercer volleyball team. After a couple difficult road losses last weekend, the Bears will host Samford at 3 p.m. Saturday at Hawkins Arena and look to improve their 6-1 mark on the friendly court.

A win for Mercer (12-10, 4-6 Southern Conference) against Samford (15-10, 6-4) would be a big step toward righting the ship with exactly two weeks remaining in league play. The Bears currently sit in seventh place in the SoCon while Samford, winner of three straight, is tied for third with Chattanooga.

Saturday's match is the first of two straight home matches for Mercer, which will host Wofford on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Saturday, Oct. 29 | 3 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-10, 4-6 SoCon) vs. Samford (15-10, 6-4 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerBearsVB
Promotions: First 100 fans receive Krispy Kreme donuts and hot chocolate. The Bears will host their Halloween Bash costume contest – the person with the best costume wins a Buffalo Wild Wings party.

SERIES HISTORY | LAST MEETING
Mercer trails Samford 6-25 in the all-time series with the Bears' last win coming on Oct. 17, 2015 at Hawkins Arena.

This season, the Bears were defeated, 3-1, by Samford on Oct. 7 in Birmingham, Alabama as they struggled to find any offensive rhythm and recorded a collective .113 hitting percentage. Morgan MacGilvary led Mercer with 12 kills and six blocks while Tori Penrod matched a career-high of 33 digs.

NOTABLES

Mercer's home record (6-1) and Samford's road record (1-6) are polar opposites.
The Bears are still seeking their 13th win of the year, which would mark their most in a single season under head coach Damian Elder.
Mercer ranks third in team hitting percentage (.212) among SoCon teams. The Bears are also one of four teams to have at least 170 total blocks this season.
Senior libero Tori Penrod continues to rank among conference and national leaders in the digs category. Her 435 total digs and 5.12 digs per set average rank first and second in the SoCon and 29th and 22nd on the national leaderboard.
Mercer's kills leader, Morgan MacGilvary, ranks seventh among SoCon players in kills per set (3.18) and total kills (270). She is also 10th in hitting percentage (.263).
Emily Krogman leads the league with a 0.36 ace per set average. She has 31 total aces on the year.
Claire Waliczek owns eight double-doubles this season, the most of any Bear.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Samford, which is hitting a collective .226 on the season, owns the second-most overall wins among SoCon teams this year with 15. The Bulldogs' lone road win of the year came Oct. 19 when they defeated Chattanooga in straight sets in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During their three-match win streak, the Bulldogs have only surrendered one set.

The Bulldogs are led by senior outside hitter Erin Bognar, who was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week on Monday and ranks 11th in the nation in total kills with 382, which is also good for first in the SoCon.

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 Returns to Hawkins on Saturday, Hosts Samford

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Players Mentioned

Emily Krogman

Morgan MacGilvary

Tori Penrod

Claire Waliczek

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