Mercer University
Wofford
Mercer Hosts Wofford, Looks to Halt Skid
11/1/2016 3:37:00 PM | Volleyball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer will try to end a three-match losing streak Wednesday afternoon as it hosts Wofford at 6 p.m. at Hawkins Arena in the first of three Southern Conference contests the Bears will play this week.
The mid-week match will air live on ESPN3. Mercer (12-11, 4-7 SoCon) and Wofford (14-13, 6-6) will meet for the second time this season after the Terriers claimed a five-set thriller in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Sept. 24 and handed the Bears' their first conference loss.
Mercer's three consecutive losses have come to ETSU, Chattanooga and Samford, leaving the Orange and Black in seventh place among SoCon teams with five regular season contests remaining. Meanwhile, Wofford, which is ranked fifth in the conference, went 5-5 in the month of October and is the only SoCon team with a winning record on the road (6-4).
WEDNESDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 2 | 6 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-11, 4-7 SoCon) vs. Wofford (14-13, 6-6 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Watch: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
Talent: Todd Wilson (play-by-play); Al Kessler (color); Kristin Banks (sideline)
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerBearsVB
Promotions: Free Firehouse Subs for the first 100 students in attendance.
SERIES HISTORY | LAST MEETING
Mercer owns a 9-5 advantage against Wofford in their all-time series despite the Terriers being victorious in the last two head-to-head meetings, including the five-set contest on Sept. 24 in Spartanburg.
The 3-2 loss in late September was Mercer's first SoCon defeat of the year as Wofford dialed in with a team hitting percentage of .312. The Bears hit a respectable .267 and exchanged set wins with the Terriers, however, it was not enough to overcome 24, 19 and 17 kills from Catie Cronister, Colleen Reilly and Alex Holland. Claire Waliczek recorded a double-double (19 assists, 13 digs) and Emily Krogman added 16 kills, three blocks and six digs in the Bears' loss.
NOTABLES
?       Mercer is 1-0 in mid-week matches this season, having defeated The Citadel, 3-1, on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at Hawkins Arena.
?       The three-match losing streak is Mercer's longest of the season.
?       Something has to give as Mercer's 6-2 home record will clash with Wofford's 6-4 road record.
?       Mercer can reach its highest single-season win total under head coach Damian Elder with a win Wednesday.
?       Senior libero Tori Penrod ranks second among SoCon players and 32nd nationally with an average of 5.02 digs per set this season. Her 442 total digs are third-best in the conference and rank 50th in the nation.
?       Emily Krogman (0.39) and Morgan MacGilvary (0.28) rank among the SoCon's top-seven in aces per set this season. Krogman has the highest average of all conference players and is second in total aces with 34.
?       Mercer will look to improve its conference-worst opponent hitting percentage (.226) against a Wofford offense that enters Wednesday with a .183 team percentage.
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
Wofford is coming off of a straight-sets loss at SoCon-leading ETSU on Oct. 28 but defeated Western Carolina and Presbyterian in its prior two matches. Freshman Catie Cronister has 38 aces on the year, most of any conference player, while ranking among the top-five in total kills with 321. The Terriers have found success in another freshman as well; Madeline Savage is averaging 3.85 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.Â
