Saturday, October 29
Macon, Ga.
3 PM
Mercer University
12-11, 4-7SoCon
0
vs
3
Samford
17-10, 8-4SoCon
1
2
3
F
Samford
25
25
26
3
Mercer
22
15
24
0
Team Stats
SAM
MER
Kills
42
37
Errors
13
11
Attempts
96
93
Hitting %
.302
.280
Points
54.0
51.0
Assists
41
34
Aces
9
4
Blocks
3.0
10.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOpp.
/ VolleyballOpp.
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
Photo by: David Scearce
Mercer Drops Home Match to Samford, 3-0
10/29/2016 5:32:00 PM | Volleyball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer's three leading scorers hit .333 or better but it was not enough as the Bears were defeated in straight sets, 3-0 (22-25, 15-25, 24-26) by Samford at Hawkins Arena on Saturday afternoon.
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The loss is Mercer's third straight in Southern Conference play, marking the first time the Bears (12-11, 4-7 SoCon) have lost three a row this season. On the other end of the spectrum, Samford (17-10, 8-4) continued its strong play of late to win its fifth straight match and keep itself in the hunt for the league's regular season title.
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Emily Krogman (.471), Ellie James (.333) and Paige Alsten (.385) all hit at least .333, but Mercer failed to have a single player reach double-digit kills. Mercer hit .280 as a team but also allowed the Bulldogs to power their way to the victory with a collective .302 hitting percentage.
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Saturday's match was Mercer's only contest this weekend. The Orange and Black will return to Hawkins Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 2 to host Wofford at 6 p.m. in a match that will be carried live on ESPN3.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (22-25) | Mercer opened the match with five straight points and eventually claimed a six-point lead early on but allowed Samford to rally back to a 25-22 victory. Seven straight points by the Bulldogs out of a timeout gave them new life and a 10-9 lead that tightened the frame up. The Bears stayed steady late, as a kill by Paige Alsten off the set from Hannah Noon put Mercer up 19-18. However, Samford would take the final three points, highlighted by an ace from Kate Neisler.
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Set 2 (15-25) | The Bulldogs torched the second set offensively by hitting .538, leaving Mercer in a 2-0 hole. Ellie James was effective with three kills on five attacks while Emily Krogman added an ace, but the Bears never led in the set as Samford used a six-point run to extend its lead to 18-10 and never look back.
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Set 3 (24-26) | Samford stormed back from a 19-22 deficit with seven of the final nine points to clinch the match in the third and final frame. James was dominant in the set with six kills and was complimented by five more from Morgan MacGilvary to lead Mercer to a .378 team hitting percentage in the set. It was not enough though, as Samford hit .389 and received seven kills from Erin Bognar – nearly half of her match-high 15.
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PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Senior outside hitter Ellie James gave her best effort to rally the Bears with a nine-kill, nine-dig performance to just miss what would have been her second double-double of the season. All nine kills came after the first set, including six in the final frame. Four of Mercer's final six points in the third set came off kills by James, who now has 110 for the year.
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NOTABLES
RECORD UPDATE
UP NEXT
Mercer opens a three-match week by hosting Wofford at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at Hawkins Arena. The match will be aired live on ESPN3. The Bears will then hit the road for the weekend, to face Furman on Friday, Nov. 4 in Greenville, South Carolina and UNCG on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
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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.
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The loss is Mercer's third straight in Southern Conference play, marking the first time the Bears (12-11, 4-7 SoCon) have lost three a row this season. On the other end of the spectrum, Samford (17-10, 8-4) continued its strong play of late to win its fifth straight match and keep itself in the hunt for the league's regular season title.
Â
Emily Krogman (.471), Ellie James (.333) and Paige Alsten (.385) all hit at least .333, but Mercer failed to have a single player reach double-digit kills. Mercer hit .280 as a team but also allowed the Bulldogs to power their way to the victory with a collective .302 hitting percentage.
Â
Saturday's match was Mercer's only contest this weekend. The Orange and Black will return to Hawkins Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 2 to host Wofford at 6 p.m. in a match that will be carried live on ESPN3.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (22-25) | Mercer opened the match with five straight points and eventually claimed a six-point lead early on but allowed Samford to rally back to a 25-22 victory. Seven straight points by the Bulldogs out of a timeout gave them new life and a 10-9 lead that tightened the frame up. The Bears stayed steady late, as a kill by Paige Alsten off the set from Hannah Noon put Mercer up 19-18. However, Samford would take the final three points, highlighted by an ace from Kate Neisler.
Â
Set 2 (15-25) | The Bulldogs torched the second set offensively by hitting .538, leaving Mercer in a 2-0 hole. Ellie James was effective with three kills on five attacks while Emily Krogman added an ace, but the Bears never led in the set as Samford used a six-point run to extend its lead to 18-10 and never look back.
Â
Set 3 (24-26) | Samford stormed back from a 19-22 deficit with seven of the final nine points to clinch the match in the third and final frame. James was dominant in the set with six kills and was complimented by five more from Morgan MacGilvary to lead Mercer to a .378 team hitting percentage in the set. It was not enough though, as Samford hit .389 and received seven kills from Erin Bognar – nearly half of her match-high 15.
Â
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Senior outside hitter Ellie James gave her best effort to rally the Bears with a nine-kill, nine-dig performance to just miss what would have been her second double-double of the season. All nine kills came after the first set, including six in the final frame. Four of Mercer's final six points in the third set came off kills by James, who now has 110 for the year.
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NOTABLES
- Mercer is now 6-2 at Hawkins Arena.
- Mercer trails Samford 6-26 in the all-time series and has now lost two straight to the Bulldogs.
- The Bears have now lost nine straight sets during the three-match skid.
- Emily Krogman totaled three of Mercer's four aces to reach 34 for the season, second-best in the SoCon.
- Tori Penrod recorded seven digs, snapping her 22-match streak this season of reaching double-digit digs. The senior libero is still average over five digs per set (5.02).
- Claire Waliczek and Hannah Noon reached 16 and 15 assists apiece. Waliczek has led Mercer in the category each of the last three matches.
RECORD UPDATE
- Mercer: 12-11 (4-7 SoCon)
- Samford: 17-10 (8-4 SoCon)
UP NEXT
Mercer opens a three-match week by hosting Wofford at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at Hawkins Arena. The match will be aired live on ESPN3. The Bears will then hit the road for the weekend, to face Furman on Friday, Nov. 4 in Greenville, South Carolina and UNCG on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
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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.
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