Mercer Sweeps Catamounts, 3-0, in Cullowhee

Saturday, September 30

Cullowhee, N.C.

6 p.m. ET

Mercer University

6-9, 2-2SoCon

Western Carolina

6-11, 1-3SoCon

Mercer

Western Carolina

Photo by: Southern Conference

9/30/2017 9:30:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Mary Bess Skinner

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Mercer defeated Western Carolina, 3-0 (40-38, 33-31, 25-18), for its second Southern Conference win on Saturday evening to earn its first sweep of the conference season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (40-38) | Mercer started the match on a high note with a wild 40-38 win in the first set of play. Both teams went back-and-forth well beyond the usual until Mercer was finally able to grab the final two points of the set. The frame was one of multiple runs; Mercer opened with a 7-1 lead, followed by a 5-0 run by the Catamounts. Western Carolina ran with six straight points after a 17-17 tie before Mercer rallied to force the long-winded set win.

Set 2 (33-31) | Another tough battle ensued in the second set with Mercer coming out on top once again. Mercer started strong with an 8-3 spurt. Western tied the contest at 13 to lead for the first time in the second set. The Bears would trail for what looked to be the remainder of the set, until a sudden outbreak which put them ahead of the Catamounts by two, 23-21. Both teams battled back-and-forth to switch the lead, but Mercer eventually pulled out on top with the final set point after an attack error by Western Carolina and a kill from Claire Waliczek.

Set 3 (25-18) |The start of set three was quickly taken over by the Bears after a 7-2 run was initiated. Western Carolina could not climb its way out of the eight-point hole. Alsten finalized the match with her hitting specialty, adding another kill to the night.

NOTABLES

Emily Krogman (17 kills, 16 digs), Morgan MacGilvary (14 kills, 18 digs), Danielle Faust (11 kills, 14 digs) led the team with double-doubles.
Claire Waliczek tied her season-high of 58 assists, led the team in hitting percentage (.750), and added 14 digs.
Paige Alsten led both teams in kills (19), and also added five blocks for the Bears.
Mercer bested its season-high in kills (69), assists (68), and digs (75) in a single match.

COACH SCHROEDER'S TAKE
"We are learning so much so fast," said head coach Derek Schroeder. "What we were not able to execute last night, we had much more success with tonight, especially late in the sets."

RECORD UPDATE

Mercer: 6-9, 2-2 Southern Conference
Western Carolina: 6-10, 1-3 Southern Conference

UP NEXT
Mercer will finish out its non-conference schedule by hosting Savannah State on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. at Hawkins Arena.

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.