Volleyball Splits On Day One At Crimson Tide Invitational

Friday, August 25

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

11 a.m.

Mercer University

0-1,0-0SoCon

Saint Louis

1-0,0-0Atlantic 10

Mercer

Saint Louis

Volleyball Splits On Day One At Crimson Tide Invitational

8/25/2023 7:02:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

MACON – The Mercer volleyball team dropped a 5-set heartbreaker to Saint Louis in its opening match of the day, but rebounded by sweeping through Mississippi Valley State in the nightcap, as the Bears split opening-day action at the Crimson Tide Invitational on Friday in Foster Auditorium.

The Bears (1-1) nearly rallied back from a 2-1 deficit after against the Billikens (0-1), but were unable to fend off a late-match rally before succumbing. The Orange & Black registered an impressive 72.2 percent side out percentage against Mississippi Valley State (0-2), while also hitting nearly .400 at the net against the Devilettes as well.

Newcomer Kylee Quigley amassed 25 kills across both matches, while also hitting a team-best .317 as well. Kiera McCarles posted a team-best 37 assists, including 21 against Saint Louis, while Abbey Havrilla led the team with 24 digs on the day.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Saint Louis 3, Mercer 2 (25-20, 21-25, 18-25, 26-24, 11-15)
RECORDS	Mercer 0-1; Saint Louis 1-0
ARENA	Foster Auditorium (Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Crimson Tide Invitational)

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 25-20	Mercer hit .700 in the early going on the way to building a 10-3 advantage, and led by as many as nine points, 15-6, following a kill from Lillian Beardsley. The Billikens rallied late and closed to within a point, 20-19, but the Bears closed it out by tacking up five of the set's final six points.
SET 2 I 21-25	The squads halved the first 28 points of the second set before Saint Louis used an untimely service error by MU to take the lead for good. The Billikens used a late 6-1 run to take command, but the Bears scored four-straight points before succumbing.
SET 3 I 18-25	Mercer took a late 17-16 lead thanks to a kill from Aliyah Waldon, but Saint Louis scratched the scoreboard for three-straight points to surge ahead. Mercer pulled to within a lone point, 19-18, thanks to an attack error by the Billikens, but Saint Louis rallied for six consecutive points to close it out.
SET 4 I 26-24	The Bears put on their rally caps and hit .381 at the net in the fourth set to eventually forge a tiebreaking stanza. Saint Louis fought off two set points by the Orange & Black to forge a late 24-24 tie, but Mercer prevailed by virtue of an ensuing service error, as well as an attack error.
SET 5 I 11-15	Saint Louis closed out the morning matchup by hitting .462 at the net in the fifth and deciding set, but Mercer had its opportunities. The Bears led 10-6 after a key kill from Mykole Morgan, but Mercer rallied for six-straight points to turn the momentum.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Kylee Quigley (18), Skyler Bumpers (8), Gia Padilla (8)
ASSISTS	Kiera McCarles (21), Jessica Dunn (15), Carley Raleigh (5)
DIGS	Abbey Havrilla (13), Gia Padilla (11), Kylee Quigley (9)
BLOCKS	Skyler Bumpers (4), Gia Padilla (2), Kylee Quigley (1)
SERVICE ACES	Kylee Quigley (2), Skyler Bumpers (2), Aliyah Waldon (1)

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 3, Mississippi Valley State 0 (25-10, 25-13, 25-12)
RECORDS	Mercer 1-1; Mississippi Valley State 0-2
ARENA	Foster Auditorium (Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Crimson Tide Invitational)

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 25-10	The Bears came out of the gates on fire, and hit .556 in a dominating opening set that set the tone for the remainder of the match. Mercer raked in nine of the set's first 10 points, and pushed the lead out to double digits, 15-5, a short time later following a kill from Lillian Beardsley.
SET 2 I 25-13	Mercer hit a more-modest .385 at the net in the second set, but the results proved to be the same. The Devilettes actually forged an early 3-2 advantage, but the Orange & Black posted seven of the set's next nine points, and then used a 6-0 run minutes later to pull away for good.
SET 3 I 25-12	The Bears scored the first six points of the third and final set and never looked back on the way to securing their first team win of the season. A service ace from Carley Raleigh gave the Orange & Black a double-digit advantage, 15-5, and Mercer eventually closed out the afternoon thanks to consecutive attack errors by MVSU.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skyler Bumpers (10), Kylee Quigley (7), Mykole Morgan (6)
ASSISTS	Kiera McCarles (16), Carley Raleigh (15), Abbey Havrilla (2)
DIGS	Abbey Havrilla (11), Kiera McCarles (6), Gia Padilla (5)
BLOCKS	Skyler Bumpers (5), Mykole Morgan (3), Kylee Quigley (2)
SERVICE ACES	Abbey Havrilla (11), Kiera McCarles (6), Gia Padilla (5)

UP NEXT
The Bears will close out their stay in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday when they battle the host-Crimson Tide inside Foster Auditorium. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, and the match will be streamed live by ESPN+ and the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

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