Friday, September 20
Boca Raton, Fla.
10 a.m.
Mercer University
vs
Stetson
Bears Head To Boca Raton For Owls Paradise Classic
9/19/2024 1:57:00 PM | Volleyball
MACON - The Mercer volleyball team will travel to Boca Raton this weekend for the Owls Paradise Classic at Florida Atlantic University. The 9-1 Bears look to extend their win streak and have one final tune-up before conference play begins on Sept. 27.
Mercer went 3-0 at the MU Invitational last weekend coming away as tournament champions in Hawkins Arena with big wins against Southern Miss., Presbyterian and Elon, achieving the best 10-match start in program history.
The Bear's first match of the weekend will be against the Hatters of Stetson University at 10:00 a.m. on Friday Sept. 20. Stetson is off to a 3-5 start with wins over Manhattan, Bethune-Cookman and UNCW. Mercer will return to Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena later that night to face off against the host team FAU in a 7:00 p.m. match. The Owls Paradise Classic will be the second tournament that the Owls will host this season. FAU is off to a solid start, sitting at 5-4, including wins over Seton Hall and Ball State. Mercer will close out their stay in Boca Raton with a match at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday against Illinois State. The Redbirds have a current record of 3-7 on the season.
Skye Ekes continues to dominate at the front line for the Bears with 137 kills, averaging 3.61 per set. Gia Padilla is another weapon for Mercer, recording multiple double-doubles throughout the first 10 games. The outside hitter has a total of 100 kills, 14 service aces, 93 digs and 10 blocks. Brooke Phillips still leads the NCAA in service aces with 34 and aces per set at .89.
Matches against Stetson and Illinois State will be streamed on FloSports and a live stream for the match against FAU will be provided through the FAU athletics department's webpage.
Mercer went 3-0 at the MU Invitational last weekend coming away as tournament champions in Hawkins Arena with big wins against Southern Miss., Presbyterian and Elon, achieving the best 10-match start in program history.
The Bear's first match of the weekend will be against the Hatters of Stetson University at 10:00 a.m. on Friday Sept. 20. Stetson is off to a 3-5 start with wins over Manhattan, Bethune-Cookman and UNCW. Mercer will return to Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena later that night to face off against the host team FAU in a 7:00 p.m. match. The Owls Paradise Classic will be the second tournament that the Owls will host this season. FAU is off to a solid start, sitting at 5-4, including wins over Seton Hall and Ball State. Mercer will close out their stay in Boca Raton with a match at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday against Illinois State. The Redbirds have a current record of 3-7 on the season.
Skye Ekes continues to dominate at the front line for the Bears with 137 kills, averaging 3.61 per set. Gia Padilla is another weapon for Mercer, recording multiple double-doubles throughout the first 10 games. The outside hitter has a total of 100 kills, 14 service aces, 93 digs and 10 blocks. Brooke Phillips still leads the NCAA in service aces with 34 and aces per set at .89.
Matches against Stetson and Illinois State will be streamed on FloSports and a live stream for the match against FAU will be provided through the FAU athletics department's webpage.
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