Bears Split On Day One In Boca Raton

Friday, September 20

Boca Raton, Fla.

10 a.m.

Mercer University

10-1,0-0SoCon

Stetson

3-6,0-0ASUN

Mercer

Stetson

9/20/2024 7:31:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

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

BOCA RATON - The Mercer volleyball team split on day one of the Owls Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Fla. The Bears started out the day with a sweep against Stetson but were unable to rally back against the host Florida Atlantic University resulting in a 3-1 loss, just the second loss of the season for Mercer.

Skye Ekes led the offense, once again, with 11 kils in the win against Stetson and recorded 13 against FAU. Freshman libero MeMe Davis tallied a career-high 27 digs against the Hatters and added 14 more against the Owls. Brooke Phillips registered 63 assists and 14 digs on the day.

The Bears return to Baldwin Arena tomorrow for one last match on the weekend against the Redbirds of Illinois State. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be streamed on FloSports.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 3, Stetson 0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-10)
RECORDS	Mercer 10-1; Stetson 3-7
ARENA	Baldwin Arena (Boca Raton, Fla.) -- Owls Paradise Classic

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 25-18	Mercer's dominant server, Brooke Phillips, opened play with a three--point service run which then gave the Bears a boost to maintain the lead throughout the remainder of the set. Skyler Bumpers recorded the final point of the set with a statement kill.
SET 2 I 25-23	The Bears held the lead for most of the set until Stetson battled back to tie it at 20-20. However, a kill by Bumpers sparked the Mercer offense to close out the set with four kills.
SET 3 I 25-10	Mercer absolutely dominated in the third set with the biggest score differential standing at 15-4. The Bears had a combined 13 kills compared to Stetson's seven which had a lot to do with MeMe Davis being a rock in the back row with 12 digs just in the third set.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skye Ekes (11), Gia Padilla (9), Skyler Bumpers (8)
ASSISTS	Brooke Phillips (27), MeMe Davis (2), Gia Padilla (2)
DIGS	MeMe Davis (27), Brooke Phillips (6), Gia Padilla (5)
BLOCKS	Skyler Bumpers (3), Joselynn Sanjurjo (2), Gia Padilla (2), Sydney VanCott (2)
SERVICE ACES	Abbey Havrilla (4), MeMe Davis (4), Brooke Phillips (2)

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 1, FAU 3 (21-25, 21-25, 27-25, 10-25)
RECORDS	Mercer 10-2; FAU 7-4
ARENA	Baldwin Arena (Boca Raton, Fla.) -- Owls Paradise Classic

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 21-25	Both squads battled the entire set with multiple lead changes. Skyler Bumpers put the Bears within one point at the 19-20 mark with a three-point service run but it was not enough to top the Owls in the first set.
SET 2 I 21-25	The second set was similar to the first set where both sides were equally matched throughout, exchanging kills and also errors on both sides. Sydney VanCott gave the Bears the lead at 20-19 but the Owls Battled back to defeat the Orange & Black by four points.
SET 3 I 27-25	Set three was another nail-biter that had everyone on the edge of their seat. Skye Ekes recorded a kill to put the Bears up 26-25 and in typical Brooke Phillips fashion, she won the set for Mercer on an ace sending the squads to a fourth set.
SET 4 I 10-25	The Owls gained momentum from the start of the set and the Bears were never able to catch back up. The FAU offense dominated on the front line to take the set and match win from the Bears, becoming only the second team so far this season to do so.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skye Ekes (13), Sophia Henry (10), Skyler Bumpers (6), Gia Padilla (6)
ASSISTS	Brooke Phillips (31), Sammi Bergjans (4), Gia Padilla (3)
DIGS	MeMe Davis (14), Gia Padilla (11), Brooke Phillips (8)
BLOCKS	Joselynn Sanjurjo (5), Skyle Ekes (2), Gia Padilla (2)
SERVICE ACES	Gia Padilla (1), Brooke Phillips (1)

UP NEXT
The Bears return to Baldwin Arena tomorrow for one last match on the weekend against the Redbirds of Illinois State. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be streamed on FloSports.

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