Volleyball Downs Charlotte, 3-1, For First Win

Friday, August 26

Charlotte, N.C.

7 PM

Mercer University

1-1

Charlotte

1-1

Mercer

Charlotte

Volleyball Downs Charlotte, 3-1, For First Win

8/26/2016 10:25:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Gerrit Van Genderen

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After an early morning loss in the season opener, the Mercer University volleyball team bounced back to claim its first victory of the year, a 3-1 match over Charlotte on Friday night at the Halton Arena.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer's offense came out firing in the opening set against the 49ers, totaling 16 kills on the way to a 25-22 win that set the tone for the evening. Outside hitters Morgan MacGilvary and Heather Swann both recorded five kills each to pace the Bears while Tori Penrod, Claire Waliczek and Hannah Noon held the defensive front steady with six, five and four digs, respectively.

After dropping a back-and-forth second set, 25-22, Mercer maintained its composure to claim a key third set, 25-18. Trailing 11-12, the Bears went on a 12-3 run to build a comfortable 23-15 lead. Paige Alsten, Swann and MacGilvary chipped in four kills apiece while Ellie James added six digs and a kill to help the Orange and Black pull away.

Mercer clinched the match win with a 25-21 fourth set that was highlighted by another stout comeback, this time a 15-5 run to close out the game. Four service aces – one each from Emily Krogman, MacGilvary, Claire Waliczek and Penrod – helped the Bears finish off the 49ers.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Paige Alsten proved to be a daunting force against Charlotte on Friday night en route to 11 kills and a match-high six blocks for Mercer. Four of the sophomore middle blocker's six blocks came in a pivotal third set victory to help propel the Bears to a 25-18 game. Alsten led Mercer with four kills in the match-clinching fourth set as well.

NOTABLES

Three Mercer players finished with double-digit kills, including MacGilvary (15), Swann (13) and Alsten (11).
Hannah Noon, who earned the start at setter, turned in a quality performance with 27 assists and nine digs. Waliczek complimented her with 18 assists and six digs.
Penrod, Mercer's "rock," totaled 19 digs against the 49ers to give her a total of 42 through two matches this season. She owns a 5.25 digs per set average.
Mercer had no less than 11 kills in each of the four sets against Charlotte. The Bears had 16 in both the first and third sets – each resulting in wins.
James and Krogman added 14 digs each to compliment the strong defense. James, who added a pair of blocks, had eight kills as well.
Alsten, the Southern Conference's blocks leader in 2015, is off to a hot start already on defense. The sophomore has nine through two matches following her match-high six against Charlotte.
The Bears' win pushes them to 7-7 in season-opening tournaments since head coach Damian Elder took the helm in 2012.

COACH ELDER'S TAKE
"It was nice to play – and win – in front of Charlotte's home crowd tonight," Elder said. "Our blocking really turned this match in our favor. I'm proud of the team for fighting after this morning's loss."

RECORDS UPDATE
Both Mercer and Charlotte left Friday night's match with a 1-1 record following the opening day of the 2016 season.

UP NEXT
Mercer will face South Florida (1-0) at noon on Saturday, Aug. 27 at the Halton Area in the Bears' final match at the Charlotte Invite. The Bulls defeated Campbell in straight sets on Friday to claim their first victory of the young season. To follow Saturday's match via live stats, click here.

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.