Friday, October 7
Birmingham, Ala.
8 PM
Mercer University
10-7, 2-3SoCon
1
at
3
Samford
11-8, 2-2SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
Mercer
24
26
21
21
1
Samford
26
24
25
25
3
Team Stats
MER
SAM
Kills
40
57
Errors
22
28
Attempts
159
178
Hitting %
.113
.163
Points
58.0
70.0
Assists
37
55
Aces
3
3
Blocks
15.0
10.0
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
6
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOpp.
/ VolleyballOpp.
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
Photo by: David Scearce
Offensive Woes Doom Mercer in 3-1 Loss to Samford
10/7/2016 11:03:00 PM | Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mercer couldn't find its rhythm offensively on Friday night, resulting in a 3-1 (24-26, 26-24, 21-25, 21-25) loss to Samford in a Southern Conference volleyball match at the Pete Hanna Center.
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The Bears (10-7, 2-3 SoCon) recorded a .113 team hitting percentage, their second-worst mark of the season, en route to dropping their second straight match as league play heats up. Samford (11-8, 2-2) snapped a two-match losing streak to get back into the thick of the SoCon race.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (24-26) | A hard-fought opening set ended sourly for the Bears as they squandered a late 23-20 lead. After Morgan MacGilvary's ace gave Mercer the 23-20 advantage, Samford would take six of the last seven points before finishing the set off behind two kills by Kate Neisler.
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Set 2 (26-24) | Early offensive struggles in the second set had Mercer heading toward a 2-0 deficit, but the Bears completed an impressive rally to tie the match 1-1. Facing an eight-point deficit, 22-14, Mercer rallied with 12 of the following 14 points to stun Samford. Some offensive momentum – led by kills from MacGilvary, Ellie James, Maria Avramova and Emily Krogman and an ace by Claire Waliczek – tightened Samford's lead to 23-20 before the Bulldogs recorded four straight attack errors to help Mercer's cause.
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Mercer's first lead of the set came at 24-23. The Bears finished off the frame behind MacGilvary's second ace and a kill by Heather Swann.
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Set 3 (21-25) | For a third consecutive set, a team finished off the frame with a late rally. Unfortunately for Mercer, it was Samford's turn to make a run – an eight-point finish to overcome Mercer's 21-17 lead. The Bears had a 16-10 lead following kills by Avramova and MacGilvary, but nine errors down the stretch ruined their chances of taking the decisive third set. Â
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Set 4 (21-25) | Mercer held four separate leads in the fourth and final set, but Samford outlasted the Bears to claim the match win. The Orange and Black trailed 19-14 and made things interesting with seven of the final 13 points, including a pair of kills by James. It wasn't enough though as Samford recorded a match-high 16 kills in the frame.
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PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Libero Tori Penrod proved why she is one of the SoCon's best on Friday, matching a career-high of 33 digs. The senior was everywhere for Mercer as she reached double-digit digs in two separate sets; 10 in set one and 11 in set three. Penrod also reached 33 digs a season ago against Stetson.
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NOTABLES
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 Bears (10-7, 2-3 SoCon) recorded a .113 team hitting percentage, their second-worst mark of the season, en route to dropping their second straight match as league play heats up. Samford (11-8, 2-2) snapped a two-match losing streak to get back into the thick of the SoCon race.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (24-26) | A hard-fought opening set ended sourly for the Bears as they squandered a late 23-20 lead. After Morgan MacGilvary's ace gave Mercer the 23-20 advantage, Samford would take six of the last seven points before finishing the set off behind two kills by Kate Neisler.
Â
Set 2 (26-24) | Early offensive struggles in the second set had Mercer heading toward a 2-0 deficit, but the Bears completed an impressive rally to tie the match 1-1. Facing an eight-point deficit, 22-14, Mercer rallied with 12 of the following 14 points to stun Samford. Some offensive momentum – led by kills from MacGilvary, Ellie James, Maria Avramova and Emily Krogman and an ace by Claire Waliczek – tightened Samford's lead to 23-20 before the Bulldogs recorded four straight attack errors to help Mercer's cause.
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Mercer's first lead of the set came at 24-23. The Bears finished off the frame behind MacGilvary's second ace and a kill by Heather Swann.
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Set 3 (21-25) | For a third consecutive set, a team finished off the frame with a late rally. Unfortunately for Mercer, it was Samford's turn to make a run – an eight-point finish to overcome Mercer's 21-17 lead. The Bears had a 16-10 lead following kills by Avramova and MacGilvary, but nine errors down the stretch ruined their chances of taking the decisive third set. Â
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Set 4 (21-25) | Mercer held four separate leads in the fourth and final set, but Samford outlasted the Bears to claim the match win. The Orange and Black trailed 19-14 and made things interesting with seven of the final 13 points, including a pair of kills by James. It wasn't enough though as Samford recorded a match-high 16 kills in the frame.
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PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Libero Tori Penrod proved why she is one of the SoCon's best on Friday, matching a career-high of 33 digs. The senior was everywhere for Mercer as she reached double-digit digs in two separate sets; 10 in set one and 11 in set three. Penrod also reached 33 digs a season ago against Stetson.
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NOTABLES
- Mercer trails 6-25 in the all-time series against Samford.
- Friday's loss marks the first time the Bears have lost consecutive matches all season.
- Mercer fell to 2-4 in road matches.
- Senior Ellie James recorded her 500th career kill in the first set. She's the second Bear to reach the milestone in as many weeks, joining MacGilvary.
- Mercer spoiled a vintage performance by Penrod, who tied her career-high of 33 digs. She's reached the 30-dig mark twice this season.
- Claire Waliczek's 21 assists and 10 digs marked her fifth double-double of the season, a team-best. It's the fifth time she's reached 20 assists.
- James narrowly missed a double-double for the second straight match, totaling nine kills and 18 digs.
- Maria Avramova notched a career-high nine total blocks to pace Mercer. The Bears won the team block battle, 15-10.
- MacGilvary's team-leading 12 kills marked the ninth straight match with double-digit figures.
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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