Mercer Volleyball Preview: Bruiser Showcase

MACON, Ga. – Following an opening week that saw Mercer volleyball finish 1-2 in Charlotte, the Bears will hit the road once again this weekend for three matches at Belmont's Bruiser Showcase in Nashville against the host Bruins, Georgia State and William & Mary.

THE MATCHUPS
Location: Nashville, Tennessee – Curb Event Center
Schedule: Match 1: at Belmont | Friday, Sept. 2, 1:30 p.m. ET | Live Stats | Video
Match 2: vs. Georgia State | Friday, Sept. 2, 3:30 p.m. ET | Live Stats
Match 3: vs. William & Mary | Saturday, Sept. 3. 12 p.m. ET | Live Stats

NOTABLES

The Bears enter their second tournament of the season with a 1-2 record following a three-match swing at the Charlotte Invite. They defeated host Charlotte, 3-1, but suffered defeats at the hands of Campbell and South Florida.
Senior libero Tori Penrod was named to the Charlotte Invite all-tournament team after ranking first among all players with 64 total digs. She averaged 5.33 digs per set.
Mercer has offered a balanced attack in the early season, featuring four players with at least 25 kills. Junior outside hitter Morgan MacGilvary leads the squad with 31 total, 15 of which came in Mercer's win over Charlotte.
Junior opposite side hitter Emily Krogman ranks among team leaders in points (33.0), kills (25) and digs (34), but has impressed early with her serving game. Krogman is tied for the lead among SoCon players with eight aces, highlighted by a career-high five in a loss to South Florida.
Last year's SoCon blocks leader Paige Alsten is off to a strong start at the net this year, ranking among league leaders in the category with 12.0 total blocks while averaging 1.00 per set. The sophomore middle blocker ranks fifth in conference with a .344 hitting percentage en route to 28 kills.
Mercer setters Hannah Noon and Claire Waliczek have a combined 110 assists through 12 sets so far, led by Noon's 64 which ranks 10th among SoCon players.

SCOUTING BELMONT
The host Bruins are the lone undefeated team in the Bruiser Showcase after they walked away as champions of the Memphis Invitational last weekend, downing Central Arkansas (3-2), Chicago State (3-0) and Memphis (3-1) for a 3-0 record. Belmont, the preseason favorite to win the Ohio Valley Conference, is led by a trio of preseason honorees, juniors Brie Lewis, Arianna Person and Emma Price.

Price totaled 117 assists and six blocks through Belmont's 12 sets played en route to being named the Memphis Invitational's most valuable player. Person led the Bruins with 40 kills and eight service aces while adding eight blocks as well to be named to the all-tournament team.

Friday's match will be the 17th meeting all-time between Belmont and Mercer, with the Bruins holding an 11-5 advantage. The two programs last faced one another in 2011, a 3-1 loss for the Bears.

SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE
Mercer will face one of its two scheduled intrastate foes – Georgia State – in Friday's second match and look to claim some bragging rights in the process. The Panthers enter the Bruiser Showcase with a 2-1 record following victories against Holy Cross and North Carolina Central at the JMU Invitational in Harrisonburg, Virginia last weekend.

The Panthers picked up 24 service aces over their three matches and rank 10th nationally with 2.4 aces per set in the early stages of the season. Seniors Kristina Stinson (team-high 26 kills) and Eliza Zachary (team-high 10 blocks) lead a youthful GSU team that features 11 underclassmen and was picked to finish at the bottom of the Sun Belt East Division.

The Bears have found little success in the all-time series, trailing 5-26 against GSU. The most recent matchup – a 3-1 loss for Mercer – occurred the opening weekend of the 2013 season in Birmingham, Alabama.

SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
For a second straight weekend, Mercer will square off against a brand new opponent when it takes on William & Mary at noon (ET) on Saturday. It'll be the first meeting all-time for the two programs as the Tribe enters the second weekend of play with an identical 1-2 record.

William & Mary had a busy opening weekend, playing three five-set matches at Clemson's Big Orange Bash. The Tribe was defeated by Wofford and High Point, but picked up their first win under first-year head coach Melissa Ferris with a 3-2 victory over host Clemson.

Freshman Autumn Brenner was named the Colonial Athletic Association's Rookie of the Week after recording 132 total assists (8.8 per set), 25 digs, five aces and six blocks on the weekend. The Tribe's attack is led by Heather Pippus and Casey Foote, who have 44 and 39, respectively. William & Mary also has a pair of players with double-digit blocks; Katie Primatic (12.0) and Paige Humphrey (10.0).

HOW TO 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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Players Mentioned

Paige Alsten

Emily Krogman

Morgan MacGilvary

Hannah Noon

Tori Penrod

Claire Waliczek

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