Bears Blast The Bulldogs In Saturday Night Sweep

Saturday, November 9

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

22-5,12-2SoCon

Samford

13-11,7-7SoCon

Samford

Mercer

Bears Blast The Bulldogs In Saturday Night Sweep

11/9/2024 7:39:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

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

MACON - The Mercer volleyball team fed off of the energy in Hawkins Arena tonight to sweep the Bulldogs, moving to 22-5 on the season and 12-2 in conference play. The Bears out hit Samford 49 kills to 23 and a hitting percentage of .432 compared to the Bulldog's .181.

Skye Ekes was Mercer's top performer at the net recording 14 kills with a .310 hitting percentage and added two block assists. MeMe Davis and Gia Padilla combined for 22 digs in the victory with 12 and 10, respectively. The Bears registered a total of nine service aces on the night and Brooke Phillips led the charge with three. Skyler Bumpers also posted impressive numbers at the net, tallying nine kills with just one attack error to round out a .615 hitting percentage.

The Bears return to Hawkins Arena next weekend to finish out conference play with two games against Wofford and UNCG. The Bears will host their Yellow Game on Nov. 15 to raise awareness for osteosarcoma and show support for our fighter, Ali Waldon. The following day, the Bears will celebrate the three seniors on the team and complete the 2024 regular season. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 3, Samford 0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-18)
RECORDS	Mercer 22-5, 12-2 SoCon; Samford 13-10, 7-6 SoCon
ARENA	Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 25-19	The fans showed up the Hawkins Arena tonight and brought the energy with them. The Bears fed off that energy immediately taking a 10-5 lead over the Bulldogs following a kill from Ekes. The front line came alive for Mercer recording 17 kills in set one alone. The Bulldogs were not able to keep up, resulting in Mercer taking set one.
SET 2 I 25-12	The fans got louder and louder as the match went on, especially after a four-point service run from Phillips to give the Bears a 4-0 lead. Samford was never able to gain back the momentum with the biggest point deficit coming at the 22-10 mark.
SET 3 I 25-18	Mercer went on three mult-point service runs, giving them the advantage over the Bulldogs in the third set. Sophia Henry and Padilla ended the set and match with a bang, recording back-to-back kills to secure the Saturday night sweep.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skye Ekes (14), Gia Padilla (9), Skyler Bumpers (9)
ASSISTS	Brooke Phillips (37), MeMe Davis (3)
DIGS	MeMe Davis (12), Brooke Phillips (10), Gia Padilla (9)
BLOCKS	Skye Ekes (2), Skyler Bumpers (2)
SERVICE ACES	Brooke Phillips (3), MeMe Davis (2), Skye Ekes (2)

UP NEXT

The Bears return to Hawkins Arena next weekend to finish out conference play with two games against Wofford and UNCG. The Bears will host their Yellow Game on Nov. 15 to raise awareness for osteosarcoma and show support for our fighter, Ali Waldon. The following day, the Bears will celebrate the three seniors on the team and complete the 2024 regular season. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

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