Volleyball Upset By Chattanooga In SoCon Tourney Quarterfinals

Friday, November 17

Spartanburg, S.C.

5 p.m.

Mercer University

16-12,12-4SoCon

Chattanooga

19-13,6-10SoCon

Chattanooga

Mercer

Volleyball Upset By Chattanooga In SoCon Tourney Quarterfinals

11/17/2023 7:45:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The second-seeded Mercer volleyball team totaled double-digit service aces for the fourth time this season, while also posting eight blocks, but could not overcome 27 attack errors on the way to a 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 29-31, 22-25) setback to seventh-seeded Chattanooga on Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Conference Tournament.

The loss stopped a four-match win streak for the Bears (16-12) who closed out the season under first-year head coach Chad Sutton with victories in 13 of their last 17 outings. The triumph snapped a 4-match series skid for the Mocs (19-13) who will face the winner of the matchup between third-seeded Wofford and sixth-seeded Western Carolina in Saturday's semifinal round.

Freshman Aliyah Waldon tallied a double-double with a career-high 13 kills and 19 digs to lead the Bears. Four players turned in multiple service aces for Mercer as well.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Chattanooga 3, Mercer 1 (23-25, 25-18, 29-31, 22-25)
RECORDS	Mercer 16-12; Chattanooga 19-13
ARENA	Spartanburg, S.C. (Richardson Indoor Stadium)

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 23-25	Chattanooga hit nearly .400 in the opening set and came back from a 2-point deficit midway through on the way to a 25-23 win in the opening set. The Bears led 15-13 following a kill from Aliyah Waldon, but the Mocs hung around and eventually forged ahead, 19-18, on Chard'e Vanzandt's kill.
SET 2 I 25-18	Mercer left little to doubt in the second set and tied up the evening at one set apiece with a convincing 25-18 performance. The Bears reeled in the first four points of the set and led by as many as a dozen points, 18-6, after a kill by Aliyah Waldon.
SET 3 I 29-31	The Bears used a big block from Skyler Bumpers to take a seemingly comfortably 18-14 advantage in the third set, but Chattanooga captured seven of the next eight points to storm ahead. Mercer would give itself a set-point opportunity at 25-24, but bedlam followed. Mercer would eventually fight off four set-point opportunities by the Mocs before falling in a high-scoring affair.
SET 3 I 22-25	If nip and tuck is what fans desired, they got all they could handle in the fourth set. Mercer forged a 10-5 lead early on, only to have Chattanooga rally back to grab a 15-12 advantage. The Bears took their cue and strung together a mild 6-1 run to regain the lead, but the Mocs answered again and eventually tacked up the set's last four points to finish it out.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Kylee Quigley (20), Aliyah Waldon (13), Skyler Bumpers (10)
ASSISTS	Kiera McCarles (47), Abbey Havrilla (3), Kylee Quigley (1)
DIGS	Gia Padilla (19), Aliyah Waldon (19), Kylee Quigley (18)
BLOCKS	Skyler Bumpers (4), Kylee Quigley (2), Mykole Morgan (1)
SERVICE ACES	Kylee Quigley (3), Aliyah Waldon (3), Gia Padilla (2)

UP NEXT
Season complete.

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