Mercer University
13-12, 5-8SoCon
Furman
9-16, 5-8SoCon
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Penrod, MacGilvary Lead Mercer over Furman
11/4/2016 10:13:00 PM | Volleyball
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Morgan MacGilvary recorded a match-high 15 kills and Tori Penrod set a career-high with 36 digs to lead Mercer to a 3-2 (25-17, 17-25, 25-11, 18-25, 15-7) five-set win over Furman at Alley Gymnasium on Friday night.
The Bears' star power proved to be the steady hand throughout a defensive battle in which neither team hit above .111 for the match. Mercer notched a season-high 17 blocks – Paige Alsten tied a career-high with 11 individual blocks – to limit the hosting Paladins (9-16, 5-8 Southern Conference) to a -.012 hitting percentage.
The victory ended a four-match losing streak for Mercer (13-12, 5-8) and gives the Orange and Black some momentum heading into Saturday's match against red-hot UNCG in Greensboro, North Carolina.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (25-17) | Paige Alsten got off to a strong start with four kills on five attacks and two block assists to lead the Bears to a 25-17 opening win. Mercer used a six-point run to establish a 9-3 lead early on. Five of the six points in the stretch came off the serve of Ellie James, who added an ace.
After Mercer took a timeout following three straight points from Furman, which cut the lead to three, the Bears settled in with a pair of kills from Alsten and James in a four-point run of their own to stretch it out to 19-12. Mercer took the final four points off of kills from Emily Krogman and Alsten to seal it. Mercer held Furman to a .024 team hitting percentage in the set as the Paladins had nine attack errors.
Set 2 (17-25) | Furman scorched five aces over the final 12 points to pull away from the Bears and tied the match at one set apiece with a 25-17 win. Mercer led for only one point all set as it used a six-point run off the serve of Hannah Noon to take a 15-14 advantage. However, it was all Paladins after that as they claimed 11 of the last 13 points, highlighted by three aces from Nicole Mack.
Set 3 (25-11) | Block assists by Alsten, James and MacGilvary sparked a 9-0 run by Mercer to end a dominant third set. The Bears received some help from the Paladins though, as they recorded 12 attack errors to end the frame with a -.044 hitting percentage. Mercer won five straight points on Hannah Noon's serve – which proved to be effective once again with her second ace of the night – to take a 15-7 lead early on.
Set 4 (18-25) | Mercer hit only 0.65 to let Furman sneak back into the match with a 25-18 victory in the fourth set. Mercer had a 12-11 lead, but the Paladins won nine of the next 10 points to pull away. MacGilvary continued to heat up during the set with four kills and an ace for Mercer.
Set 5 (15-7) | The Bears came firing out the gate in the final frame, sparked by a set-opening ace from Claire Waliczek. They'd take an 8-4 advantage into the switch and would clinch the match victory with the final four points, highlighted by an ace from Tori Penrod and a kill by MacGilvary.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
It was quite the evening for Tori Penrod. The senior libero brought her best with her to Greenville on Friday night as she recorded a career-high 36 digs to anchor a Mercer defense that held Furman to a -.012 hitting percentage. Penrod has notched at least 30 digs three times this year.
NOTABLES
- Mercer defeated Furman in both head-to-head regular season meetings this season and trails in the all-time series, 5-14.
- Mercer's 13th win marks the highest single-season win total by the Bears under head coach Damian Elder.
- Tori Penrod has 503 digs this season and is averaging 5.13 digs per set. She's reached the 500-dig milestone twice during her standout four-year career.
- Â With eight aces against Furman, Mercer has 18 over the past two matches. Hannah Noon finished with a team-high three.
- Noon had her second straight double-double with 17 assists and 10 digs. Claire Waliczek had a team-high 20 assists as well.
- The five-set victory was Mercer's third road win. The Bears are 3-4 in five-set matches.
- Mercer out-blocked Furman 17-7, led by 11 from Paige Alsten. The 17 by the team and 11 by Alsten were both season-best marks.
RECORD UPDATE
- Mercer: 13-12 (5-8 SoCon)
- Furman: 9-16, (5-8 SoCon)
UP NEXT
- Mercer: at UNCG (15-10, 9-3 SoCon) | Greensboro, N.C. | Saturday, Nov. 5 | 5 p.m.
- Furman: vs. Samford (17-11, 8-5 SoCon) | Greenville, S.C. | Saturday, Nov. 5 | 5 p.m.
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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