Mercer Struggles in Aggie/Phoenix Volley for Unity Tournament

Saturday, September 11

Elon, N.C.

12:00 PM

Mercer University

3-4,0-0SoCon

North Carolina A&T

5-3,0-0Big South

Mercer

N.C. A&T

Mercer Struggles in Aggie/Phoenix Volley for Unity Tournament

9/11/2021 10:12:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Bears fall to North Carolina A&T and Elon

By: Nicole Dennis

ELON, N.C. – The Mercer Bears lost to both North Carolina A&T (3-1) and Elon (3-0) in today's double header.

MERCER VS. NORTH CAROLINA A&T

Set One (25-23) | Mercer started the first set with a quick 4-0 lead. A service and attack error would give the Aggies their first two points before they would go on a 4-0 run to take the lead, 6-5. A service error by the Aggies would tie the game before attack errors allowed the Aggies to take the lead again, 9-6. The Bears would answer with a 4-0 run themselves to take a one-point lead, 11-10. The teams with trade points back-and-forth keeping the set within one before the Aggies would go on a 6-0 run to take the lead by five, 22-17. The Bears did not go down easily and would go on two separate runs of two and three, keeping the game within two, 24-22. The Aggies would get a block to take the set.

Set Two (25-14) | Three of the first four Mercer points in the second set were from kills by Brittany Major, 6-4. The Aggies lead by two before the Bears would go on a 5-0 run with kills from Jaida Howell and Mykole Morgan allowing Mercer to take their first lead of the set, 9-7. Back-to-back kills from Morgan would put the Bears up by three followed by a kill from Rayanne de Oliveira extending the lead to four, 12-8. Several errors would extend the Bear lead to seven before the Bears would finish the set going on a 5-0 run to take set two.

Set Three (27-25) | The third set would start with three straight points from the Bears. A kill and service ace from de Oliveira would put the Bears up by four, 5-1. Two of the next four points would be kills from Howell as well as a service ace from Taylor Lynch keeping the Bears up by three, 8-5. The Aggies will go on a 3-0 run to put the game within one point, 12-11. The Bears answered with a kill from Major and a service ace from de Oliveira making the lead 3 points, 14-11.The Aggies and Bears took turns going on multiple runs of three and two which kept the game within three, 21-18. A few attack errors as well as a service ace from the Aggies allowed them to take a one point lead, 23-22. However, Lynch immediately answered offensively to tie the game at 23. The teams traded points back-and-forth before the Aggies were able to close out the set from back-to-back errors.

Set Four (25-16) | The Bears fell quickly in the fourth set to a 10-0 run from the Aggies. Back- to- back kills from Howell would put the Bears within five, 12-7. Lynch, Major and de Oliveira worked offensively to keep the score within four before the Aggies went on a 3-0 run extending their lead to seven, 18-11. The Bears worked to minimize the Aggies lead but to no prevail. The Aggies would take set four to win the match.

MERCER VS. ELON

Set One (25-22) | The Bears and the Phoenix with trade points, combined with kills and errors, back-and-forth in the beginning of the first set. The Phoenix would go on a 3- 0 run to take a three-point lead, 7-4. After an Elon service error, the Phoenix would go on another run of four, extending their lead to four points, 11-5. A kill from Morgan broke up the second 3-0 run from the Phoenix, extending their lead to eight. The Phoenix would go on another run of three before the Bears answered with a 5-0 run led by Howell with two kills keeping the game within four, 21-17. Another late run by the Bears (4-0) would put the game within one, 22-21. In the end, a few kills and a final error allowed Elon to take set one.

Set Two (26-24) | The Bears would start set two trailing by four. Back-to-back kills from Howell would put the game within two, 7-5. The teams with trade points before two consecutive runs of three would put Elon up by five, 17-12. Attack errors and kills would keep the game within one, 18-19, before another 3-0 run from the Phoenix put them up by four, 22-18. A
4-0 run from the Bears led by kills from de Oliveira and Lynch tied the game at 23. Elon would answer offensively to close the set.

Set Three (25-18) | The third set started with a 5-0 run from Elon. Errors allowed the Bears to bring the game within two, 6-8. Immediately after, errors by Mercer allowed the Phoenix to take a five-point lead, 11-6. Two kills from Major, kept the game within three, 14-11.The Phoenix answered on the defensive side with two blocks in a row, extending their lead to five, 17-11. Two separate runs of three from Elon gave them an eight-point lead, 20-12. A 3-0 run from the Bears with kills from Howell and de Oliveira put the game within six, 23-17. These efforts would not be enough and Elon would finish the set with two straight kills, giving the match to the Phoenix.

NOTABLES

Rayanne de Oliveira and Brittany Major received All-Tournament Team honors.
Two Bears registered double-doubles, Major (20 kills, 25 digs) and Lynch (16 kills, 14 digs)
de Oliveira and Howell tied with 16 kills each, followed by Mykole Morgan with 15; de Oliveira registered five service aces.

The Bears will compete next weekend in the Georgia Southern Tournament.

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.