Volleyball Falls, Then Dominates On Day One Of Bulls Invitational

Friday, September 1

Tampa, Fla.

10 a.m.

Mercer University

1-3,0-0SoCon

Florida Gulf Coast

2-2,0-0ASUN

Mercer

FGCU

Volleyball Falls, Then Dominates On Day One Of Bulls Invitational

9/1/2023 4:14:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

MACON – The Bears fought hard to make mid-set scoring runs but ultimately fell to Florida Gulf Coast 3-0 in their first match of the day in Tampa. In the second match, the team came out strong and never looked back, never trailing in the match and only facing two ties.

Kylee Quigley and Katilyn Steffes led the team in kills for the day with 16 apiece. Kiera McCarles posted a team-leading 29 assists. All 10 of Mercer's players in match two scored, with Katilyn Steffes posting a team-high 10.5 points. Quigley's seven service aces in game one against Florida Gulf Coast are the most in a match for the Bears in more than a decade.

The next game will be Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. and streamed on ESPN+.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 0, Florida Gulf Coast 3 (19-25, 30-32, 18-25)
RECORDS	Mercer 1-3; Florida Gulf Coast 2-2
ARENA	Yuengling Center (Tampa, Fla.) -- Bulls Volleyball Invitational

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 19-25	After trailing up to nine points early in the set, the Bears rallied back within one, 16-17, after three points on Kylee Quigley serves. The set ended on a three point FGCU run.
SET 2 I 30-32	The largest point gap of set two was a Mercer lead of 16-10 but remained close until FGCU took the set 32-30. Kylee Quigley totaled four aces, three consecutive, in set two.
SET 3 I 18-25	The lead changed four times throughout the set, but the difference never exceeded two points until FGCU gained a 19-16 lead. Mercer scored two more points, but the match ended on four straight points by FGCU.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Kylee Quigley (8), Katilyn Steffes (7), Skyler Bumpers (7)
ASSISTS	Kiera McCarles (12), Jessica Dunn (11), Abbey Havrilla (2)
DIGS	Abbey Havrilla (12), Kylee Quigley (7), Kiera McCarles (6)
BLOCKS	Skyler Bumpers (4), Mykole Morgan (2), Kylee Quigley (2)
SERVICE ACES	Kylee Quigley (7), Katilyn Steffes (1)

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 3, Idaho State 1 (25-16, 25-17, 25-12)
RECORDS	Mercer 2-3; Idaho State 0-3
ARENA	Yuengling Center (Tampa, Fla.) -- Bulls Volleyball Invitational

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 25-16	Mercer scored first and never trailed through the entire match. The Bears tallied five aces in the first set from four different players. They recorded a match high .409 hit percentage and .500 kill percentage.
SET 2 I 25-17	The Bears had another dominant set, recording a five-point streak mid-set. The set ended with a solo block by Sklyer Bumpers then a kill by Bumpers assisted by Jessica Dunn.
SET 3 I 25-12	Five more aces were recorded in set three. After an Idaho State timeout with Mercer leading 17-10, the Bears only allowed two more Bengals points through the end of the match. Two aces by Gia Padilla and one from Abbey Havrilla gave the team momentum to close out the match 25-12.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Katilyn Steffes (9), Kylee Quigley (8), Skyler Bumpers (8)
ASSISTS	Kiera McCarles (17), Jessica Dunn (9), Abbey Havrilla (4)
DIGS	Abbey Havrilla (11), Kylee Quigley (11), Jessica Dunn (7)
BLOCKS	Mykole Morgan (2), Skyler Bumpers (2), Lillian Beardsley (2)
SERVICE ACES	Kiera McCarles (3), Abbey Havrilla (3), Gia Padilla (2), Kylee Quigley (2)

UP NEXT
The Bears will finish play in the Bulls invitational tomorrow, Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. facing the host team, University of South Florida before heading to the War Eagle Invitational Sept. 8-9.

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SUPPORT THE BEARS
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