Bears Make A Gritty Comeback In Final Match Of MU Invitational

Saturday, September 14

Macon, Ga.

1 p.m.

Mercer University

9-1,0-0SoCon

Presbyterian

3-7,0-0Big South

Presbyterian

Mercer

Bears Make A Gritty Comeback In Final Match Of MU Invitational

9/14/2024 5:04:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

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

MACON - The Mercer volleyball team posted a thrilling 3-2 comeback win against Presbyterian to close out the 2024 MU Invitational. The Bears advance their record to 9-1 with a four-game win streak and officially recording the best 10-match start in program history.

The Bears defeated both Elon and Southern Miss in day one of the tournament with scores of 3-0 and 3-1, respectively.

Skye Ekes registered another impressive match for the Bears registering a match-high 16 kills and added four aces earning herself All-Tournament Team honors. Gia Padilla recorded yet another double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs, leading the defense. Brooke Phillips tallied 45 assists, four aces and was named the MU Invitational Tournament MVP.

The Bears are back on the road next weekend at the Owls Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Fla. Mercer has two matchups on Friday against Stetson at 10 a.m. and the host FAU at 7:00 p.m. To close out the tournament on Saturday, the Bears will face Illinois State at 11 a.m.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 3, Presbyterian 2 (19-25, 25-21, 25-8, 20-25, 16-14)
RECORDS	Mercer 9-1, 0-0 SoCon; Presbyterian 3-7, 0-0 Big South
ARENA	Hawkins Arena (Macon, Ga.)

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 19-25	The Blue Hose came out ready to battle against the hot Bears and was able to gain some momentum after a few Mercer errors. The Bears were able to fight back to put themselves within three points but was shut down after a four-point service run from Presbyterian.
SET 2 I 25-21	Mercer was able to talk things out in between sets and came back out on the court with purpose. The Bears grabbed the lead early but the relentless Blue Hose were able to tie it up multiple times until the Bears pulled away for the set win after back-to-back kills by Lou Johnson and Sophia Henry.
SET 3 I 25-8	Set three was the Skye Ekes show. The senior outside hitter recorded six kills with most of them put straight down. The Mercer offense in total combined for 14 kills hitting .367 compared to Presbyterian's four kills hitting .034. Ekes and Sanjurjo shut the door on the Blue Hose after a pair of kills to head to the fourth set.
SET 4 \| 20-25	The two squads battled back and forth the entire set with multiple long rallies. Presbyterian was able to out-hit Mercer, giving the Blue Hose the advantage, ultimately securing the win and sending the match to a fifth set.
SET 5 \| 16-14	Mercer fell behind early in the set with the Bears trailing by six. The ball got put into the hands of Brooke Phillips at the service line and she went on a five-point service run to tie the score at 12-12. With the help of a couple Blue Hose errors and a kill by Gia Padilla, the Bears were able to hold on to their win streak.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skye Ekes (16), Gia Padilla (12), Skyler Bumpers (9), Lou Johnson (9)
ASSISTS	Brooke Phillips (45), MeMe Davis (6), Skye Ekes (1), Abbey Havrilla (1)
DIGS	Gia Padilla (13), Brooke Phillips (11), Abbey Havrilla (10), MeMe Davis (10)
BLOCKS	Lou Johnson (3), Skyler Bumpers (2), Gia Padilla (2), Brooke Phillips (2)
SERVICE ACES	Brooke Phillips (4), Skye Ekes (4), Skyler Bumpers (2), Abbey Havrilla (2)

UP NEXT
The Bears are back on the road next weekend at the Owls Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Fla. Mercer has two matchups on Friday against Stetson at 10 a.m. and the host FAU at 7:00 p.m. To close out the tournament on Saturday, the Bears will face Illinois State at 11 a.m.

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