Mercer University
Furman
Mercer Travels to Furman, UNCG this Weekend
11/3/2016 4:39:00 PM | Volleyball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer will look to strengthen its place in the Southern Conference standings with four matches left in the regular season as it hits the road for a pair of back-to-back matches at Furman and UNCG this weekend.
The Bears will take on Furman at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4 in Greenville, South Carolina before continuing north to face UNCG at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Greensboro, North Carolina. A four-match losing streak has dropped Mercer to 12-12 overall and 4-8 in the SoCon, which is good for seventh place in the conference standings.
Furman (9-15, 4-7) is in the midst of a three-match skid itself while UNCG (14-10, 8-3) is arguably the league's hottest team with a six straight matches. Mercer most recently fell in a five-set thriller to Wofford on Tuesday night at Hawkins Arena. Confidence should be high for the Bears, however, as they have already defeated both Furman and UNCG earlier this season at home for two of their four SoCon victories.
FRIDAY'S MATCH
Date: Friday, Nov. 4 | 7 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-12, 4-8 SoCon) at Furman (9-15, 5-7 SoCon)
Location: Greenville, S.C. | Alley Gymnasium
Watch: SoCon Digital Network
Live Stats: FurmanPaladins.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerBearsVB
SATURDAY'S MATCH
Date: Saturday, Nov. 5 | 5 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-12, 4-8 SoCon) at UNCG (14-10, 8-3 SoCon)
Location: Greensboro, N.C. | Fleming Gym
Watch: YouTube
Live Stats: UNCGSpartans.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerBearsVB
NOTABLES
- Tori Penrod leads the SoCon in total digs (467) and ranks second behind UNCG's Christina Gregory with 5.02 digs per set. The senior libero notched 25 digs in the loss to Wofford on Wednesday.
- Mercer is 2-7 in road matches while Furman and UNCG are 5-2 and 8-2 at home, respectively.
- Morgan MacGilvary enters the weekend with a team-high 290 kills. She needs only 17 to set a new personal single-season high.
SCOUTING THE PALADINS | LAST MEETING
Mercer enters Friday's match at Furman in a similar scenario to its first meeting with the Paladins this season. The Bears were in the midst of a three-match losing streak before sweeping Furman on Oct. 15 at home to regain its momentum and will look to duplicate that performance Friday.
Morgan MacGilvary notched match-highs in kills (17) and blocks (6) to help Mercer snap a seven-match losing streak in the all-time series with Furman, which the Paladins lead 14-4.
Furman is 1-4 since its loss to the Bears in Macon, including straight-set defeats to Chattanooga and Western Carolina most recently. The Paladins rank seventh among SoCon teams in hitting percentage (.180) and opponent hitting percentage (.213). Senior Annie Bierman continues to be the focal point of Furman's offense, leading the way with 291 kills and a 3.31 kills per set average.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS | LAST MEETING
Unlike the Paladins, UNCG has heated up since its defeat to Mercer earlier this season, going 8-1 since. The Spartans are anchored by their backcourt, which averages 17.96 digs per set – ranking seventh in the nation – and is led by two-time reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Month, Christina Gregory. The sophomore defensive specialist joins Penrod as the only two players to average above five digs per set this season.
Mercer defeated UNCG in five sets on Sept. 30 to earn its second SoCon win. After trading the first four sets, the Bears finished it off with a 15-12 fifth set and hit .474 as a team in the frame. MacGilvary's 19 kills on a .421 hitting percentage was the standout performance.
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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