Volleyball Preview: Best Western Osprey Invite

MACON, Ga. – A chance to get above .500 is on the line as the Mercer volleyball team concludes its nine-match road swing at the Best Western Osprey Invite in Jacksonville, Florida this weekend. The Bears will battle host North Florida, Florida International and Nicholls State over a two-day stretch.

THE MATCHUPS
Location: Jacksonville, Florida – UNF Arena
Schedule: Match 1: at North Florida | Friday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Video | Tickets
Match 2: vs. Florida International | Saturday, Sept. 10, 9 a.m. | Live Stats | Tickets
Match 3: vs. Nicholls State | Saturday, Sept. 10, 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Tickets

NOTABLES

Mercer (3-3) is riding a two-match win streak heading into the Best Western Osprey Invite with victories over Georgia State and William & Mary at the Bruiser Showcase in Nashville.
This weekend's trip will be a homecoming for Mercer assistant coach Paige Pridgeon, who starred for the Ospreys as an outside hitter from 2009-12. Pridgeon was named the 2012-13 UNF Female Athlete of the Year as she finished her career ranked among UNF's top-10 leaders for kills, kills per set, service aces, digs, sets played and matches played.
Senior libero Tori Penrod is off to a fast start in her final season for the Bears with 126 digs (5.25 per set). Those marks rank 38th and 19th nationally to help Mercer rank in the top-100 nationally as a team.
Penrod has also earned all-tournament honors during both weekends of play so far. She was joined by junior outside hitter Morgan MacGilvary on last weekend's Bruiser Showcase All-Tournament Team.
Sophomore middle blocker Paige Alsten is one of the clear focal points for Mercer's offense and defense early this season. Her 30.0 total blocks lead the team while ranking 57th nationally and she is second among all Bears in kills (50).
The two-pronged strategy of junior setters Hannah Noon and Claire Waliczek has helped the Bears total 240 assists so far. Noon leads the squad with 118 while Waliczek owns 91. Both have had double-digit assists in each match, including Noon reaching 20 or more three times.
Arguably the most versatile player for Mercer has been junior opposite Emily Krogman, who has paced the team with 12 services aces – ranking 46th nationally and second in the Southern Conference – while ranking among team leaders in kills (49), kills per set (2.04) and digs (72).
Senior outside hitter Ellie James has totaled double-digit digs or kills in four matches this season to complement the Bears' front line alongside Alsten and Krogman.
Mercer tightened its defense last weekend, holding its three opponents to a combined .132 attack percentage. The Bears rank 94th in the nation and fourth in the SoCon by limiting their foes to a .176 overall percentage.

SCOUTING NORTH FLORIDA
The host Ospreys will open their home schedule this weekend and enter with a 5-3 overall record after going 2-2 at the Barcelona Labor Day Classic in Houston a week ago. UNF picked up 3-1 and 3-0 wins against Northern Colorado and Pennsylvania while suffering losses to Houston Baptist and Toledo.

Behind a high-powered attack, the Ospreys have placed themselves among the nation's leaders in multiple categories. They rank second nationally in team kills (432) and total attacks (1,202) while ranking third nationally in team assists (397). Right-side/middle blocker Carina Hoff and outside hitter Gabby O'Connell have propelled UNF's attack with 100 and 92 kills, respectively.

UNF is fourth nationally in team total blocks (77.0), largely due to middle blocker Morgan Van Alstine's 38.0 blocks, which rank ninth nationally for a single player.

Being former ASUN opponents, Mercer and UNF have experience with one another. The Ospreys lead the all-time series 12-7 and have won the past three matches. Mercer last won in 2012 with a 3-2 victory in Jacksonville.

SCOUTING FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
The Bears will look to end a two-match skid against Florida International in their all-time series, which the Jaguars lead 7-4. Mercer last defeated FIU in 1997 while the latter took a 3-0 win a season ago in DeLand, Florida. FIU enters the tournament with a 2-4 record and is coming off of a 1-2 showing at the Jaguar Invitational in Mobile, Alabama. The four losses have included three straight-set sweeps at the hands of Coastal Carolina, Miami (Fla.) and South Alabama.

FIU's attack is highlighted by right-side/outside hitter Katie Hogan (56 kills, 2.55 k/s), while middle blocker Jennifer Ene controls the middle and owns 19 total blocks on defense.

SCOUTING NICHOLLS STATE
With three straight wins to pull its overall record to 4-4, Nicholls State enters the tournament with the best win streak of all teams in play. Those victories have come in convincing fashion over Alabama A&M (3-0), Louisiana-Lafayette (3-1) and Southern (3-0)

The Colonels feature a strong serving game with 42 aces on the season and average 1.5 per set, both of which rank in the top-100 nationally. Setter Lucija Barac has 12 aces individually to rank 38th nationally and pace the team. Outside hitters Stephanie Tobison (57 kills) and Brieanna Hill (54 kills) pull the weight for Nicholls State offensively, while defensive specialist/libero Alexa Perry (97 digs) and middle hitter/outside hitter Emily Weimer (28.0 blocks) stand out defensively.

Nicholls State leads the infrequently played all-time series with Mercer, 3-1, including a five-set win in the most recent meeting in 2015. Mercer last defeated the Colonels in 2006.

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.

Volleyball Preview: Best Western Osprey Invite

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Players Mentioned

Paige Alsten

Ellie James

Emily Krogman

Morgan MacGilvary

Hannah Noon

Tori Penrod

Claire Waliczek

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