Mercer University
Jacksonville
Mercer Rallies Past Dolphins in ASUN Elimination Round
4/22/2017 6:27:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
Bears survive and advance to day two of the ASUN Tournament
DELAND, Fla. – Mercer overcame an early two-point deficit with three consecutive wins in pairs No. 1-3 to defeat No. 5-seed Jacksonville, 3-2, Saturday afternoon and advance to the second day of the ASUN Beach Volleyball Tournament.
The Bears (15-11) will face No. 4 North Florida at 11 a.m. Sunday in another elimination match. The Ospreys defeated Jacksonville in the tournament's first match Saturday morning before falling to No. 1 Stetson, 4-1. A win against North Florida on Sunday morning will advance Mercer into the elimination bracket semifinals, where it will face the loser of Stetson and FGCU.
A nail-biting three-set victory by Emma Peel and Sophie Peel in the No. 2 seed clinched the comeback win for Mercer in the fifth match of the afternoon. The Peels downed Jacksonville, 16-14, in the third set.
Wins by Tori Penrod/Emily Krogman and Claire Waliczek/Danielle Faust preceded the Peels' victory after Mercer dropped into a 0-2 hole with losses in the No. 4 and 5 seeds. Penrod/Krogman improved to 6-0 since the start of the 2016 ASUN Tournament while Waliczek and Faust won in straight sets. Mercer went 3-0 against the Dolphins this year.
JACKSONVILLE MATCH BREAKDOWN
- Tori Penrod/Emily Krogman (MER) def. Mackenzie Swan/Cristina Finan (JU) 21-13, 9-21, 15-13
- Emma Peel/Sophie Peel (MER) def. Morgan Dees/Megan Widener (JU) 21-13, 19-21, 16-14
- Claire Waliczek/Danielle Faust (MER) def. Shelby Babowicz/Natalie Wehner (JU) 21-11, 21-12
- Vanessa Richards/Katie Krawczyk (JU) def. Demi-Shay Watchorn/Madison Kerr (MER) 21-16, 21-15
- Jizzyan Gesualdo/Hanna McMahon (JU) def. Gretja Otten/Morgan MacGilvary (MER) 21-12, 21-12
ORDER OF FINISH
5, 4, 1, 3, 2
PAIR OF THE MATCH
After a straight-set loss earlier in the day, Claire Waliczek and Danielle Faust got back on track with a two-set victory that sparked the Bears' rally. The duo defeated Jacksonville's No. 3 seed – 21-11, 21-12 – in dominant fashion.
RECORDS UPDATE
- No. 2 Mercer: 15-11
- No. 5: Jacksonville: 7-19
UP NEXT
- No. 2 Mercer: vs. No. 4 North Florida (11 a.m., Sunday, April 23 in DeLand, Florida)
- No. 5 Jacksonville: Season concluded.
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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