Bears Return Home to Host Mercer Invite

MACON, Ga. – After opening the season with nine straight matches on the road, the Mercer volleyball team is set to kick off its home schedule in style with the Mercer Invite at Hawkins Arena this weekend. The Bears (5-4) will host Fairleigh Dickinson (0-11), Towson (9-1) and USC Upstate (5-7) on Sept. 16-17 with a six-match tournament.

TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN
Location: Macon, Georgia – Hawkins Arena
Parking: Friday: Free | Saturday: $10 (Due to other events on campus)
Schedule: Match 1: Towson (H) vs. USC Upstate (A) | Friday, Sept. 16, 12 p.m. | Live Stats
Match 2: Mercer vs. Fairleigh Dickinson | Friday, Sept. 16, 2:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Match 3: USC Upstate (H) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (A) | Friday, Sept. 16, 5 p.m. | Live Stats
Match 4: Mercer vs. Towson | Friday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. | Live Stats
Match 5: Fairleigh Dickinson (H) vs. Towson (A) | Saturday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. | Live Stats
Match 6: Mercer vs. USC Upstate | Saturday, Sept. 17, 12 p.m. | Live Stats

NOTABLES

Mercer has played its best volleyball the last two weeks, going 4-1 with three straight-set victories included. A two-match win streak following 3-0 wins against Florida International and Nicholls State has the Bears primed for a big weekend at home.
An impressive weekend at the Best Western Osprey Invite in Jacksonville, Florida pushed Mercer into the top-four for team hitting percentage, blocks, service aces and digs among Southern Conference teams.
The Bears were 7-4 with home court advantage in 2015.
Emily Krogman's serve has been a game-changer this season. She ranks 10th nationally in aces per set (0.55) and 23rd nationally in total aces (18). Both figures lead the SoCon.
Paige Alsten has taken serious strides in her attacking game as a sophomore. She leads the SoCon with a .359 percentage after hitting .248 as a freshman.
Alsten is also making an instant impact at the net defensively. A year removed from leading the SoCon in total blocks, she ranks second with 81 total and 1.24 per set.
With 168 total digs and a 5.09 per set average, Tori Penrod is on pace to set career-highs in both categories during her senior campaign. She ranks among the top-five of SoCon players in both categories and has solely led Mercer in digs all but one match this season.

SCOUTING FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
The Knights will be seeking their first win of the season at the Mercer Invite, as they enter with a 0-11 record. They've additionally claimed only six of a possible 39 sets and have been swept by seven opponents during the non-conference swing.

Caroline Laton's 65 kills leads the Fairleigh Dickinson attack while Carly O'Sullivan paces the team with 162 digs and eight service aces.

SCOUTING TOWSON
With a 9-1 record, Towson owns the best record among teams at the Mercer Invite this weekend. The Tigers got off to a scorching start this year, going 6-0 by way of six straight-set sweeps at the Alabama State Tournament and Seton Hall Tournament. The team's lone loss was to Seton Hall, 3-1, but the Tigers have since won three matches against Princeton, Georgetown and Maryland. That being said, of the Tigers' 10 opponents, only two – George Washington and Maryland – have winning records and their opponents' combined winning percentage is .329 (32-65).

Towson leads the nation in opponent hitting percentage (0.074) and ranks among the top-10 nationally in aces per set (2.18) and hitting percentage (.306). Annie Ertz leads the Colonial Athletic Association with 17 aces while Jessica Lewis is a top threat offensively, ranking among conference leaders in kills (151), aces (13) and hitting percentage (.370).

The two programs will finally play their second match against one another, after Mercer defeated Towson – formerly known as Towson State – 3-0 in 1997.

SCOUTING USC UPSTATE
The Spartans have righted the ship after an 0-6 start, having won five of their last six matches. Following a 3-2 win against Charlotte at home on Tuesday, USC Upstate sits at 5-7 overall. Madison Haake is a centerpiece for the Spartans as she has already recorded two triple-doubles this year while leading the team in service aces (14), assists (372) and is second in digs (147).

The Bears will surely take note of USC Upstate being 0-3 this season against SoCon opponents, falling twice to ETSU and once to Furman. Mercer also owns a 7-4 advantage all-time against the Spartans, but were defeated on the last two occasions dating back to 2013.

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

Tori Penrod

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