Bears Beat Bucs In First Home SoCon Match

Friday, October 4

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

12-3,2-0SoCon

East Tennessee State

9-5,1-1SoCon

ETSU

Mercer

10/4/2024 8:16:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Kaylin Flukey, kaylin.flukey@live.mercer.edu

MACON - The Mercer volleyball team advances to 12-3 on the season and 2-0 in the Southern Conference after taking down ETSU in a Friday night matchup. The Bears fell to the Bucs in the first set but quickly bounced back for a 3-1 win.

Lou Johnson and Skye Ekes led Mercer's offense with 10 and 14 kills, respectively. Skyler Bumpers added eight kills, three blocks and four service aces in the win. Brooke Phillips tallied 43 assists with MeMe Davis leading the defense with a match-high 19 digs.

The Bears return to Hawkins Arena tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. to face the Mocs of Chattanooga in another conference matchup to close out this weekend's play. Tomorrow's match will not be streamed on ESPN+ but live stats along with live X updates will be provided by the Mercer athletics department.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 3, ETSU 1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-18)
RECORDS	Mercer 12-3, 2-0 SoCon; ETSU 9-5, 1-1 SoCon
ARENA	Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 22-25	ETSU came out hot from the jump recording a .500 hitting percentage in the first set compared to Mercer's .261. The Bears made it a close game taking the lead at the 16-15 mark from a Skye Ekes kill but it was not enough to overcome the Bucs' strong front line.
SET 2 I 25-21	Another back and forth set between the two squads saw multiple lead changes and ties. The Bears found their rhythm, hitting .467 compared to ETSU's .242. A kills by Gia Padilla and help from a few Bucs errors secured the set win for the Bears.
SET 3 I 25-16	Although the third set was another close one, Mercer carried the momentum for most of the match. Gia Padilla went on a seven-point service run on the back end of the set and Skyler Bumpers sealed the set win with a block.
SET 4 \| 25-18	The Bears took advantage of the momentum they gained from the previous set and took the set out of reach from the Bucs early on. Lou Johnson had a match-high of five kills to help lead the Bears to a set and match win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skye Ekes (14), Lou Johnson (10), Gia Padilla (9)
ASSISTS	Brooke Phillips (43), MeMe Davis (1), Lou Johnson (1)
DIGS	MeMe Davis (19), Abbey Havrilla (6)
BLOCKS	Skyler Bumpers (3), Lou Johnson (2), Brooke Phillips (2)
SERVICE ACES	Skyler Bumpers (4), Brooke Phillips (3), Skye Ekes (1)

UP NEXT
The Bears return to Hawkins Arena tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. to face the Mocs of Chattanooga in another conference matchup to close out this weekend's play. Tomorrow's match will not be streamed on ESPN+ but live stats along with live X updates will be provided by the Mercer athletics department.

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