Saturday, November 3
Macon, Ga.
7 PM
Mercer University
14-11,7-7SoCon
3
vs
2
Samford
14-14,9-5SoCon
1
2
3
4
5
F
Samford
25
20
25
24
12
2
Mercer
20
25
21
26
15
3
Team Stats
SAM
MER
Kills
58
64
Errors
29
26
Attempts
168
163
Hitting %
.173
.233
Points
72.0
78.0
Assists
55
61
Aces
5
2
Blocks
9.0
12.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
Photo by: Gerrit Van Genderen
Bears Upset Samford, Move to Third in Conference Standings
11/3/2018 11:46:00 PM | Volleyball
Mercer defeats Bulldogs, 3-2, on Senior Night
MACON, Ga. – Mercer (14-11, 7-7 SoCon) defeated Samford, 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24, 15-12) for the first time since 2015. The Bears honored four seniors for Senior Night before the match.
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Tonight's win moves the Bears to third place, tying them with Wofford (14-13, 7-7 SoCon) and Furman (11-14, 7-7 SoCon). Â
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (20-25) | The opening set began in Samford fashion after a quick 5-1 spurt giving the Bulldogs the early advantage. Brittany Major and Paige Alsten sparked three consecutive points for the Bears, knotting the teams up at nine. Despite another 3-0 run led by Alsten, the Bears were unable to pull within four points, resulting in the opening set loss.
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Set 2 (25-20) | Alsten and Major ignited a 9-4 run to begin set two, forcing Samford to take an early timeout. Mercer proceeded to outscore the Bulldogs 13-7, extending their lead to 21-12. The Bulldogs fought back with an 8-3 run, however, Roberta Todd sealed the set with the final set point.
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Set 3 (21-25) | After a quick 5-1 Samford jump, the Bears were able to generate five-straight points to take the lead 6-5. The Bulldogs scored the next three points, reclaiming the front at 8-6. After six different tie-ups Samford managed to keep the lead, winning the third set 25-21.
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Set 4 (26-24) | Set four began in Mercer favor, taking the early front, 12-7. The Bulldogs retaliated with a 9-2 run, claiming the lead 16-14. After two tie-ups (16-16, 23-23) Major generated a final 3-0 run to take the fourth set, 26-24.
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Set 5 (15-12) | Annie Karle logged the first kill of the final set to push the Bears to a 9-4 lead. Following a 4-1 run, the Bulldogs were able to pull within two points (10-8). Back-to-back kills by Alexia Morey extended Mercer's lead to 12-8. After a 4-1 run, Samford tightened the lead to one point (13-12), but Major and Karle notched one kill apiece to close the match win.
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NOTABLES
RECORDS UPDATE
NEXT MATCH
Mercer will close out its home schedule hosting The Citadel on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. before traveling to Johnson City, Tenn. to challenge ETSU on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. for its final match in the regular season. Â
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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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Tonight's win moves the Bears to third place, tying them with Wofford (14-13, 7-7 SoCon) and Furman (11-14, 7-7 SoCon). Â
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (20-25) | The opening set began in Samford fashion after a quick 5-1 spurt giving the Bulldogs the early advantage. Brittany Major and Paige Alsten sparked three consecutive points for the Bears, knotting the teams up at nine. Despite another 3-0 run led by Alsten, the Bears were unable to pull within four points, resulting in the opening set loss.
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Set 2 (25-20) | Alsten and Major ignited a 9-4 run to begin set two, forcing Samford to take an early timeout. Mercer proceeded to outscore the Bulldogs 13-7, extending their lead to 21-12. The Bulldogs fought back with an 8-3 run, however, Roberta Todd sealed the set with the final set point.
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Set 3 (21-25) | After a quick 5-1 Samford jump, the Bears were able to generate five-straight points to take the lead 6-5. The Bulldogs scored the next three points, reclaiming the front at 8-6. After six different tie-ups Samford managed to keep the lead, winning the third set 25-21.
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Set 4 (26-24) | Set four began in Mercer favor, taking the early front, 12-7. The Bulldogs retaliated with a 9-2 run, claiming the lead 16-14. After two tie-ups (16-16, 23-23) Major generated a final 3-0 run to take the fourth set, 26-24.
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Set 5 (15-12) | Annie Karle logged the first kill of the final set to push the Bears to a 9-4 lead. Following a 4-1 run, the Bulldogs were able to pull within two points (10-8). Back-to-back kills by Alexia Morey extended Mercer's lead to 12-8. After a 4-1 run, Samford tightened the lead to one point (13-12), but Major and Karle notched one kill apiece to close the match win.
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NOTABLES
- Mercer moved to third place in the conference standings. The Bears have not had a winning season since 2015, when they went 15-14, 7-9 SoCon.
- Mercer is 8-3 at home this season, falling to only UNCG (3-2), ETSU (3-1) and Furman (3-1).
- Mercer bested the Bulldogs in kills (64), hitting percentage (.233), assists (61), blocks (12) and digs (70). The Bears notched a new season-high with 22 block assists.
- Paige Alsten and Annie Karle led the Bears with 17 kills apiece. Alsten notched a team-high six total blocks.
- Karle recorded a season-high nine digs, two assists and four total blocks.
- Brittany Major registered double-digit kills with 14, adding a season-high four total blocks.
- Maddie Nunley led Mercer with a match-high 53 assists. The sophomore also added one kill and eight digs.
- Emilee Wissmach tied her career-high 22 digs, followed by Roberta Todd with 14 digs.
RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer: 14-11, 7-7 SoCon
- Samford: 14-14, 9-5 SoCon
NEXT MATCH
Mercer will close out its home schedule hosting The Citadel on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. before traveling to Johnson City, Tenn. to challenge ETSU on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. for its final match in the regular season. Â
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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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