Friday, September 23
Charleston, S.C.
6 PM
Mercer University
9-4, 1-0SoCon
3
at
1
The Citadel
6-10, 0-1SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
Mercer
33
25
19
25
3
The Citadel
31
23
25
18
1
Team Stats
MER
CIT
Kills
58
58
Errors
21
17
Attempts
143
154
Hitting %
.259
.266
Points
67.0
68.0
Assists
53
54
Aces
7
2
Blocks
2.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballOpp.
/ VolleyballOpp.
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
Photo by: David Scearce
Bears Defeat The Citadel 3-1 in SoCon Opener
9/23/2016 9:17:00 PM | Volleyball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Mercer volleyball team entered Southern Conference play with plenty of momentum and kept the train rolling Friday night with a 3-1 (33-31, 25-23, 19-25, 25-18) victory over The Citadel at McAlister Field House. It was the sixth straight win for Mercer (9-4, 1-0 SoCon), which took down the Bulldogs (6-10, 0-1 SoCon) for a sixth straight time the league opener.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams got off to a thrilling start in Friday's match; trading points in an eventual 33-31 win for Mercer in the first set. With 21 ties throughout the set, Mercer continued to stick with the Bulldogs before pulling away with the final three points of the set, highlighted by two kills from Heather Swann. That momentum carried into the second frame and saw Mercer hit a match-best .303 to take a 25-23 victory and commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
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Tied 8-8 in the third set, The Citadel strung together six straight points for a 14-8 lead and eventual 25-19 set win that shortened the Bears' lead to 2-1. Mercer only hit .202 for the set and couldn't slow down the Bulldogs, who logged 16 kills on a .516 attack with no errors.
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Mercer put the match away in the fourth with a 25-18 win as kills by Danielle Faust, Morgan MacGilvary and Emily Krogman complimented an ace by Claire Waliczek down the stretch.
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PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Morgan MacGilvary went blow for blow with SoCon kills leader Moriah Smith on Friday, matching her with 19 kills. The total was a season-high for MacGilvary, who led Mercer with a .359 hitting percentage to pace an offensive that's been rolling of late. The junior added two aces.
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NOTABLES
- Mercer kept its perfect all-time record against The Citadel in tact and is now 6-0 against the Bulldogs dating back to 2010.
- The six-match win streak gives Mercer nine wins on the season, one shy of last season's total.
- Mercer's 33-31 win in set one was the longest set played by the Bears this season.
- Claire Waliczek posted her team-best third double-double of the season, totaling 27 assists – a season-high – and 12 digs. She added her first kill of the year and two aces.
- After missing five matches due to injury, senior Ellie James returned to the court for Mercer and played two sets. She recorded five kills and six digs.
- Tori Penrod logged 20 digs Friday, marking the seventh time this season and fourth in a row that she's reached at least 20 digs in a match.
- Emily Krogman and Danielle Faust were steady offensive threats for Mercer with 11 and 10 kills apiece. Krogman was highly efficient, hitting .318 for the match.
- In place of an injured Paige Alsten, fellow middle blockers Gabbi Meyering and Maria Avramova played in four and three sets, respectively, Friday. Meyering was a perfect 3-for-3 on attacks along with two blocks.
- Mercer's defense stifled The Citadel's attack in the fourth and final set, holding the Bulldogs to a .088 hitting percentage along with seven errors.
- Mercer: 9-4 (1-0 SoCon)
- The Citadel 6-10 (0-1 SoCon)
Mercer hits the court again Saturday at the home of another South Carolina league foe, Wofford (7-8, 0-1 SoCon). The Bears and Terriers will play at 6 p.m. at Benjamin Johnson Arena in Spartanburg. Wofford was defeated by UNCG, 3-0, on Friday evening in its first SoCon match.
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Follow along with Saturday's match via live stats or video stream.
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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