Volleyball’s Sweep of Georgia State Highlights 1-1 Day

Friday, September 2

Nashville, Tenn.

1:30 PM

Mercer University

1-3

Belmont

4-0

Mercer

Belmont Bruins

Volleyball’s Sweep of Georgia State Highlights 1-1 Day

9/2/2016 7:07:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

NASHVILLE – A 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-19) sweep of intrastate foe Georgia State highlighted the Mercer volleyball team's two matches in the Bruiser Showcase, hosted by Belmont, on Friday at the Curb Event Center. The Bears went 1-1 on the day, including a heartbreaking 3-2 (19-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-25, 11-15) loss to the Bruins.

MATCH 1: BELMONT 3, MERCER 2

HOW IT HAPPENED
After dropping the opening set 25-19 to Belmont, the Bears appeared to be heading toward their second win of the early season by claiming the second and third sets with identical scores of 25-20. Falling behind 14-7, Mercer rallied with seven straight points – keyed by a service ace from Tori Penrod and five errors by Belmont – to tie it 14-all. The run was exactly what the Bears needed, as they used to momentum to take eight of the final nine points in the second set for the game win.

Mercer's third-set win ended in similar fashion as the Bears used an 8-3 run to close out the Bruins and take a 2-1 overall lead into the fourth set. The Bears recorded a match-best .281 hitting percentage along with 13 kills in the set, led by Paige Alsten's six kills on nine attacks and Emily Krogman's four kills on seven attempts.

Belmont proved why it entered the tournament with an undefeated record though, bouncing back to soundly take the fourth set 25-15. Mercer only connected for eight kills in the set while committing seven attacking errors. The Bruins would continue their rally in the fifth and final set, outlasting the Bears 15-11 to win the match.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Krogman just missed a double-double, recording a team-high 12 kills and adding nine digs to the mix. She led the team in total attacks with 35 and connected for a .343 hitting percentage throughout the match. With adding one service ace and a block, the junior opposite hitter was a focal point for the Bears in the opening match Friday.

MATCH 2: MERCER 3, GEORGIA STATE 0

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears entered their second match of the day with a bitter taste in their mouths and put it to good use, dominating Georgia State in many aspects of the match for a 3-0 sweep. Three total service aces by Morgan MacGilvary (two) and Krogman (one) were key to the Bears battling back-and-forth with the Panthers for a hard-fought 25-22 opening set.

It was smooth sailing afterward, as Mercer jumped out to a 13-4 lead in the second set before staving off a late GSU run to win 25-19. MacGilvary totaled four kills in the set while Alsten and Danielle Faust added three blocks apiece to stuff the Panthers' offense.

Mercer's defense stood out once again the match-clinching third set, holding Georgia State to a .111 hitting percentage. The Bears forced Georgia State into 14 total errors in the match – including three key attacking errors toward the end to help seal the win. With 11 kills on 33 total attacks in the third set, Mercer totaled a hitting percentage of .273 in the final frame.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Alsten did a bit of everything for Mercer in the 3-0 sweep, totaling five kills on 14 attempts (.286) while once again dominating the net with four total blocks. Her presence at the net helped Mercer hold Georgia State to a .100 hitting percentage, a pivotal aspect of the Bears' second win this season.

NOTABLES

Mercer's 3-2 loss to Belmont was the first five-set match of the year for the Bears. The 3-0 sweep of Georgia State was additionally the Bears' first three-set match.
The Bears' loss to Belmont extends the latter's lead in the all-time series to 12-5.
Mercer added a win in the all-time series against Georgia State, now trailing the Panthers 6-26 overall.
Following 31 total digs on Friday, Penrod has 95 for the season, averaging 4.75 per set.
Alsten finished with nine total blocks Friday, giving her 21 through five matches this season.
Faust's four total blocks against Georgia State were a career-high. The sophomore added three kills to give her seven for the season in limited action.
Ellie James came up big against Georgia State, finishing second on the team in kills with eight. She added 10 digs against Belmont.
Six aces were spread out among MacGilvary, Krogman and Hannah Noon in Mercer's sweep of GSU. It's the second-highest match total this year for Mercer.
Mercer's setting duo of Claire Waliczek and Hannah Noon has proven effective. Each player has recorded double-digit sets in all matches this year.
With 15 digs in Mercer's win over Georgia State, Krogman has double-digit digs in three of five matches.
Gabbi Meyering recorded three kills, one dig and two blocks in Mercer's loss to Belmont, filling up an impressive state line for the sophomore backup. Her three kills tied a career-high from a season ago.
Despite Belmont committing 49 total errors, Mercer couldn't find a way to pull out the victory. The Bears were also outmatched 12-2 in aces during the opening match.

COACH ELDER'S TAKE
"We played a really tough serving Belmont team to the brink and I thought we might come out a little spent against Georgia State, but the team played hard from the first point to the last," said head coach Damian Elder. "It was great to see our offense shine in the combination with our defense – this is a big win for Mercer volleyball."

RECORDS UPDATE
Going 1-1 on the day moves Mercer's record to 2-3 overall with a chance to get back to .500 on Saturday. Belmont remained undefeated (4-0) with the early win, while Georgia State dropped to 3-2.

UP NEXT
Mercer's final opponent in the Bruiser Showcase in Nashville will be William & Mary. The two teams will face off at noon (ET) on Saturday, Sept. 3 at the Curb Event Center. The Tribe was defeated by Georgia State 3-0 in the opening match of the tournament on Friday.

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.