Bears Best Bulldogs In SoCon Opener

Saturday, September 28

Charleston, S.C.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

11-3,1-0SoCon

The Citadel

6-7,0-2SoCon

Mercer

The Citadel

9/28/2024 9:16:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

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

CHARLESTON - The Mercer volleyball team took down the reigning Southern Conference Champions in their first conference game of the 2024 season. The Bears and Bulldogs battled back and forth throughout the match but Mercer came away with the 3-1 win after a strong offensive performance, advancing their record to 11-3.

Freshmen middle blocker, Lou Johnson recorded a season-high 12 kills and added six blocks in the win with Skye Ekes registered a match-high and season-high 19 kills. MeMe Davis and Abbey Havrilla led the defense with 29 and 15 digs, respectively. Gia Padilla recorded another double-double on the season and Brooke Phillips added four aces, 48 assists and 12 digs.

The Bears head to Cullowhee, N.C. tomorrow for another SoCon matchup against the Catamounts of Western Carolina. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 3, The Citadel 1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-17, 25-20)
RECORDS	Mercer 11-3, 1-0 SoCon; The Citadel 6-7, 0-2 SoCon
ARENA	McAlister Field House (Charleston, S.C.)

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 25-17	The Bears held the lead for most of the set with a five-point service run from Abbey Havrilla putting Mercer up 17-12. A few kills from Johnson and Ekes secured the set win for the Bears.
SET 2 I 21-25	The two squads halved the majority of the set with multiple ties and lead changes. The Bulldogs were able to get their offense into a groove and took advantage of their power to defeat the Bears in set two.
SET 3 I 25-17	Mercer carried the momentum throughout the set out-hitting The Citadel by seven kills and recorded a .263 team hitting percentage compared to the Bulldogs .027. Skyler Bumpers sealed the set with a kill, followed by an ace.
SET 4 \| 25-20	Set four was another battle between the two squads with Mercer pulling away at the 23-17 mark after back-to-back service aces from Brooke Phillips. Johnson followed it up with a kill to win the match.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skye Ekes (19), Gia Padilla (13), Lou Johnson (12)
ASSISTS	Brooke Phillips (48), Gia Padilla (3), MeMe Davis (3)
DIGS	MeMe Davis (29), Abbey Havrilla (15), Gia Padilla (13)
BLOCKS	Lou Johnson (6), Sophia Henry (4), Skye Ekes (3)
SERVICE ACES	Brooke Phillips (4), Skye Ekes (2)

UP NEXT
The Bears head to Cullowhee, N.C. tomorrow for another SoCon matchup against the Catamounts of Western Carolina. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

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