Mercer University
15-14
Chattanooga
18-12
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Chattanooga Eliminates Mercer from SoCon Tournament
11/19/2016 11:17:00 PM | Volleyball
PHOTO GALLERY
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Third-seeded Chattanooga earned 16 kills apiece from Allie Davenport and Miranda Elpers to defeat Mercer, 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 14-25, 22-25), in the quarterfinals round of the Southern Conference Tournament Saturday night at the Pete Hanna Center.
Mercer, the tournament's No. 6 seed, ended its season with a 15-14 overall record. The Bears remain winless in postseason play since 1991 and in SoCon Tournament play (0-3) since joining the league, but won the program's most matches in a single season in nearly a decade.
Sophomore middle blocker Paige Alsten turned on the heat in the fourth set with five kills and two blocks to finish with 11 kills on 17 total attacks, however, Mercer struggled to match Chattanooga's .272 hitting percentage over the course of the match. Chattanooga (18-12) advances to the SoCon semifinals with the win and will face No. 2 UNCG at 5:30 p.m. (ET) Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (22-25) | Mercer couldn't string together enough consistent defensive stops as Chattanooga connected for 12 kills on 30 attacks (.367) with only one error. The Bears hit a respectable .216 as Emily Krogman led the way with four kills, however, Chattanooga was able to pull away with 11 of 14 points in the middle of the frame.
Set 2 (25-21) | Three aces – one apiece by Krogman, Hannah Noon and Bailey Noon – were key to Mercer's match-tying second set victory. A much-improved defensive plan helped force seven attack errors by Chattanooga in the frame and allowed Mercer to hang on late.
Bailey Noon's ace gave Mercer an 18-12 lead before Chattanooga made it interesting with nine of the final 16 points. However, Mercer came out of a late timeout to seal the set win with a kill by Paige Alsten off the set from Hannah Noon before Heather Swann notched a solo block in the final point.
Set 3 (14-25) | Chattanooga opened the set with an 8-1 run and led by as many as 12 points (24-12) to storm past Mercer out of the intermission period. Krogman and Swann led Mercer with seven kills apiece entering the third set, but each failed to connect for a single kill in the offensive struggle. Tori Penrod failed to record a dig in the set as well. MacGilvary was heavily involved in a four-point stretch by the Bears later on as she racked up a pair of blocks and a kill to take the team-lead in kills with eight.
Set 4 (22-25) | In arguably Mercer's best set of the match, it was Paige Alsten who rose above the rest with five kills on six attacks and a pair of blocks to keep the Bears in contention. Mercer led 14-11 halfway through, however, Chattanooga rallied with six of the following seven points to take a 17-15 advantage. The Mocs would never trail after that.
NOTABLES
- The 25-21 win in the second set was Mercer's first over Chattanooga this season.
- Mercer finished the season with 15 wins, marking only the sixth time the program has reached the figure in a single season.
- Mercer remains winless in postseason play since 1991 and is 0-3 in SoCon Tournament play as well.
- Saturday's match was the latest start time for the Bears this season at 8:45 p.m. (ET).
- Heather Swann registered eight kills and five blocks for Mercer.
- The loss signifies the last matches played by seniors Ellie James, Tori Penrod and Hannah Noon. James did not play due to injury while Penrod finished with 19 digs and Noon added 20 assists; both were team-high marks.
- Gabbi Meyering added four blocks off of the bench.
- Morgan MacGilvary tied Alsten for the team-lead in kills (11) and added four blocks.
RECORD UPDATE
- No. 6 Mercer: 15-14
- No. 3 Chattanooga: 18-12
UP NEXT
Mercer's 2016 season comes to a finish while No. 3 Chattanooga advances to the SoCon Tournament semifinal round to face No. 2 UNCG, which defeated No. 7 Western Carolina in a five-set contest Saturday afternoon at the Pete Hanna Center.
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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