Mercer Opens SoCon Tournament with Wofford

Friday, November 16

Greensboro, NC

12 PM

Mercer University

#5 Wofford

Photo by: Gerrit Van Genderen

11/15/2018 4:03:00 PM | Volleyball

Bears looking for first tournament quarterfinal win in program history

By: Mary Bess Skinner

MACON, Ga. – Mercer will take plenty of motivation into this weekend's Southern Conference Tournament where it will battle fifth-seeded Wofford in the quarterfinal round at noon on Friday, Nov. 16.

The match will air live on the SoCon Digital Network. The fourth-seeded Bears (15-12, 8-8 SoCon) won their first SoCon postseason match during the play-in round against The Citadel last season, defeating the Bulldogs 3-1 before falling 3-1 against then-No. 1 Furman.

Prior to last season, Mercer's last postseason victory came in 1991 when it defeated Centenary College (Louisiana) in the play-in round of the Atlantic Sun Tournament. Mercer is 1-4 in SoCon Tournament play since joining the league in 2014.

All-SoCon First Team selection Paige Alsten will lead the Orange and Black against Wofford (14-15, 7-9 SoCon), a team that Mercer split with during regular season play. Brittany Major and Annie Karle, All-SoCon Freshman Team selections will also help guide the Mercer offense to the first round victory.

The winner of Friday's quarterfinals will advance to the semifinal match to face the winner of No. 1 ETSU and the Match 1 winner (No. 8 Western Carolina vs. No. 9 The Citadel) at 2 p.m.

Championship Information
Tickets: Single Day Adult: $10.00 // Single Day Youth (3-12): $5.00 // Students with Valid SoCon ID: Free
Directions: Driving Directions / Campus Map
Hotels: SoConTravel.com

FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Friday, Nov. 16 | 12 p.m. (NOON)
Teams: No. 4 Mercer (15-12, 8-8 SoCon) vs. No. 5 Wofford (14-15, 7-9 SoCon)
Location: Greensboro, N.C. | Fleming Gymnasium
TV: SoCon Digital Network
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerBearsVB

SERIES HISTORY | REGULAR-SEASON OUTLOOK
Mercer is 9-9 all-time series against Wofford, despite falling to the Bulldogs 3-0 on the road (Sept. 29) this season. Paige Alsten led the Bears with a team-high 10 kills and a .353 hitting percentage. Maddie Nunley added a double-double for the Bears (29 assists, 13 digs) in the loss. Alexia Morey added four total blocks for the Bears.

The two teams first faced off once more on Oct. 26 when the Bears took the 3-1 home match win. Annie Karle, Paige Alsten and Roberta Todd all registered double-digit kills while Brittany Major led the Bears with a career-high 20 kills. Nunley recorded 49 assists and 11 digs for another double-double against the Terriers. Emilee Wissmach contributed a match-high 20 digs.

SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
Wofford enters the SoCon Tournament as the No. 5 seed and is 2-4 in its last six matches, including a 3-1 loss to Mercer on Oct. 26. The Terriers are among the top-three of conference teams in opponent hitting percentage (.180), blocks per set (1.96), service aces (1.35) and rank higher than Mercer in digs per set (15.51).

Catie Cronister is the key to the Terrier offense, leading the league in service aces (48 total) and ranking fourth in kills (3.49). Taylor Gill leads the conference in digs per set, averaging 5.34 per set. Colleen Reilly helps back the defense, ranking second in the SoCon with 1.02 blocks per set. Cronister and Reilly both were awarded with SoCon honors. The program's all-time leader in kills, Cronister, was named to the All-SoCon First Team while Reilly inked her name on the All-SoCon Second Team.

NOTABLES

Besides a total of three play-in games (1991, 1992 and 2017), Mercer has never won a true tournament quarterfinals match during its time in the Atlantic Sun and Southern Conference. The Bears defeated The Citadel in the play-in match last season.
The only times Mercer has earned the higher seed in a tournament match was in 2003, 2008 and 2017. The Bears lost in 2003 and 2008 before winning last season as the higher seed.
Paige Alsten, Brittany Major and Annie Karle were all awarded with Southern Conferenc honors on Wednesday. Alsten was named to the All-SoCon First Team, while Major and Karle were inked to the All-SoCOn Freshman Team.
Mercer officially placed fourth in the conference standings. The Bears have not had a winning season since 2015, when they went 15-14. The Black and Orange have not had a winning conference season since 2010, when they went 6-4.
Mercer is 9-3 at home this season, falling to only UNCG, ETSU and Furman. The Bears have gone 3-7 for true road matches and 3-2 against neutral opponents.
The Bears are 5-1 in five-set matches this season.
The Black and Orange were on a three-game win-streak having defeated Chattanooga (3-0), Samford (3-2) and The Citadel (3-2) before closing the season with a 3-0 loss against #1 ETSU.
Mercer ranks higher than Wofford in three statistical categories, including: hitting percentage (.215), assists (11.94) and kills (12.85). The Bears rank in the top three in opponent hitting percentage (.189) and blocks (1.85).
Maddie Nunley earned the SoCon Offensive Player of the Month for her performances in October.
Nunley leads Mercer in assists (892). She ranks fourth in the league with 10.49 per set.
Paige Alsten leads the Bear's offense as well as the league in hitting percentage (.344) and fifth in kills per set (3.27).
Alsten leads the Bears in blocks, totaling 92 for the season. Alexia Morey follows closely behind, recording 83.
Roberta Todd ranks ninth in leading attackers for averaging 2.95 kills per set, registering 277 for the season.
Emilee Wissmach ranks eighth in the SoCon with 3.43 digs per set, totaling 346 for the season.
Brittany Major and Annie Karle have both notched double-digit kills in the last five out six matches. Roberta Todd has also registered double-digit kills in four out of the past six games.
Megan Smith leads the Bears with 26 total service aces for the season. Wissmach trails closely behind, recording 23 for the season.

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.