Mercer University
15-13, 7-9SoCon
ETSU
21-7, 13-3SoCon
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Mercer Volleyball Ousted by ETSU on Senior Day
11/12/2016 10:43:00 PM | Volleyball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer senior Tori Penrod reached 20 digs for the 16th time this season but the Bears were defeated in straight sets, 3-0 (18-25, 23-25, 22-25), by East Tennessee State in the regular season finale on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Hawkins Arena.
ETSU (21-7, 13-3) clinched the Southern Conference regular season championship with the road win after entering the match with at least a share of the title already guaranteed. Mercer ended the regular season with a 15-13 (7-9) record, marking the program's first winning record since an 18-11 mark in 2008. Saturday's match served as Senior Day for the Bears, who honored Penrod, Ellie James and Hannah Noon prior to the 3 p.m. start time.
Mercer now shifts its focus to next weekend's SoCon Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama, where it will be the No. 6 seed in the nine-team bracket. The Bears will battle No. 3 Chattanooga (17-12, 10-6), which clinched the third seed with a 3-0 victory over UNCG Saturday night. All matches will be played at Samford's Pete Hanna Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (18-25) | ETSU's Briana Allmon notched four kills to help lead the Bucs to a .344 hitting percentage in the opening set. The Bucs led by as many as eight points early on at 13-5, proving to be too much for Mercer to overcome as it struggled offensively. Heather Swann was effective with four kills on five attacks in the set.
Set 2 (23-25) | ETSU claimed three of the final four points to halt a late Mercer rally that pulled the Bears within striking distance at 22-22. Emily Krogman notched back-to-back kills off the sets of Claire Waliczek and Hannah Noon and Mercer tied it up on a ball handling error by Kristen Favre. The Bears couldn't close, however, as ETSU came out of a timeout to finish off the set strongly and take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Set 3 (22-25) | Mercer found itself unable to get over the hump in another tight set despite tying it 16-16 with a four-point rally and trailing by only one point as late as 23-22. The four-point run to tie the set was highlighted by an ace from Krogman and two kills by Swann. Penrod would add an ace later while Morgan MacGilvary notched two of her match-high 13 kills, but to no avail.
NOTABLES
- ETSU completed the regular-season sweep of Mercer and leads the all-times series, 16-5.
- The Bears' 15 wins this season are their most in a single season since winning 18 in 2008. Their seven SoCon wins are the most in a single season since joining the league in 2014.
- Paige Alsten had one block, giving her 100 for the season.
- Hannah Noon and Claire Waliczek had 16 assists apiece.
- Riding her four kills from the opening set, Heather Swann finished with eight kills on 20 attacks for a .350 hitting percentage.
- Mercer finished the 2016 regular season with a 7-4 record at Hawkins Arena.
RECORD UPDATE
- Mercer: 15-13 (7-9 SoCon)
- ETSU: 21-7 (13-3 SoCon)
UP NEXT
Saturday's match was the final regular season contest for both programs. Next up is the SoCon Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. Both teams will play in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Pete Hanna Center.
- No. 6 Mercer: vs. No. 3 Chattanooga (17-12, 10-6) | 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 19
- No. 1 ETSU: vs. the winner of No. 8 Furman (10-18, 6-10) and No. 9 The Citadel (8-24, 1-14) | 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 19
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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