Bears Take Down UNC Greensboro To Move On To Semifinal Round

Friday, November 22

Spartanburg, S.C.

1:30 p.m.

Mercer University

25-5,14-2SoCon

UNC Greensboro

8-22,2-14SoCon

UNC Greensboro

Mercer

Bears Take Down UNC Greensboro To Move On To Semifinal Round

11/22/2024 4:58:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

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

MACON - The Mercer volleyball team defeated UNC Greensboro 3-0 in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Conference tournament. The Bears hit a combined .323 and 55 kills as a team to sweep the Spartans, moving on to the semifinal round of the SoCon tournament.

The 2024 SoCon Player of the Year in Skye Ekes proved once again why she was deserving of the award, posting a match-high and tying her season-high 21 kills in the victory with a .528 hitting percentage, averaging seven kills per set. Skyler Bumpers also hit in the double-digits range with 13 kills and .333 at the net. MeMe Davis and Lou Johnson held down the defensive side of the ball with Davis posting 33 digs, 11 per set, and Johnson registering two blocks, including a match-ending block in the third set.

Mercer will face The Citadel in the semifinal round of the SoCon Championships at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Bears defeated the Bulldogs twice in the regular season and look to add a third to their record for a chance to play in the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 24. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 3, UNCG 0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-16)
RECORDS	Mercer 25-5, 15-2 SoCon; UNCG 8-22, 2-15 SoCon
ARENA	Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 25-23	Mercer got off to a slow start, falling behind three points in the beginning of the set. The Bears were able to rally back and tie the set 8-8 following a kill from Skye Ekes. The remainder of the set was a back and forth battle with seven more tie scores to force the set to 24-23. Mercer was able to snag the win after a statement kill from Sophia Henry.
SET 2 I 25-21	The Spartans offense stayed hot off of set one taking the early lead from Mercer. A four-point service run, including an ace, from Gia Padilla put the Bears back within one point and the Bears offense came to life, shutting down the Spartans.
SET 3 I 25-16	The Bears took advantage of the momentum they gained from winning the first two sets and came to life as a team. Ekes registered a match-high six kills and Davis posted nine digs to lead Mercer past the quartfinal round and set them up to play for a chance to get to the championship game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skye Ekes (21), Skyler Bumpers (13), Sophia Henry (8)
ASSISTS	Brooke Phillips (41), MeMe Davis (7), Abbey Havrilla (2)
DIGS	MeMe Davis (33), Brooke Phillips (11), Gia Padilla, Abbey Havrilla (7)
BLOCKS	Lou Johnson (2)
SERVICE ACES	Gia Padilla, Brooke Phillips, Abbey Havrilla (2)

UP NEXT
Mercer will face The Citadel in the semifinal round of the SoCon Championships at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Bears defeated the Bulldogs twice in the regular season and look to add a third to their record for a chance to play in the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 24. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

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