Volleyball Splits at High Point Invitational

Saturday, September 7

High Point, N.C.

3 p.m.

Mercer University

5-0,0-0SoCon

Ohio

3-2,0-0MAC

Ohio

Mercer

9/8/2024 7:09:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

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

HIGH POINT - The Mercer volleyball team headed into the weekend at the High Point Invitational with a 4-0 record, the best start the program has had in over 20 years. The Bears came out hot on the first day of the tournament, sweeping Ohio to advance their record to 5-0. The Orange & Black carried that momentum into Sunday against High Point taking the first game but ultimately falling to the Panthers in a heartbreaking 3-1 loss.

Skye Ekes has been an incredible addition for the Bears putting up a total of 25 kills and six blocks across both matches, leading the offense on the weekend. Senior setter, Brooke Phillips recorded 52 assists along with 19 digs, and freshman libero MeMe Davis was a rock in the back row for the Bears registering a team-high 30 digs across the two matches.

The Bears hit the road again on Sept. 10 as they make the trip to Kennesaw State for a mid-week matchup before the Bears host the MU Invitational on Sept 13-14. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday against the Owls.

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 3, Ohio 0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-23)
RECORDS	Mercer 5-0; Ohio 3-2
ARENA	Millis Center (High Point, N.C.) -- High Point Invitational

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 25-17	The Bears maintained the lead the entire set with help from an impressive .385 hitting percentage and a handful of errors from Ohio. Skyler Bumpers went on a 5-point service run, not allowing the Bobcats to come within five points for the remainder of the set.
SET 2 I 25-19	For the second set in a row the Bears did not fall behind once during the set even after the Bobcats were able to tie it up twice at 14-14 and 17-17. A kill from Gia Padilla put the ball in the hands of Abbey Havrilla to give Mercer the advantage over Ohio.
SET 3 I 25-21	The Breas carried the momentum throughout most of the set until the Bobcats went on a 4-point run at the 24-20 making it a nail-biting 24-23 Mercer set and match point. However, Sophia Henry was able to secure a kill with the assist from Brooke Phillips to end the Bobcat comeback and secure the win, putting Mercer at 5-0 on the season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skye Ekes (9), Sophia Henry (7), Gia Padilla (6)
ASSISTS	Brooke Phillips (25), MeMe Davis (2), Gia Padilla (1)
DIGS	MeMe Davis (15), Brooke Phillips (7), Gia Padilla (6)
BLOCKS	Brooke Phillips (5), Skyler Bumpers (4), Lou Johnson (3)
SERVICE ACES	MeMe Davis (2), Gia Padilla (2), Skye Ekes (1), Skyler Bumpers (1)

MATCH SUMMARY
FINAL SCORE	Mercer 1, High Point 3 (25-8, 25-19, 24-26, 25-27)
RECORDS	Mercer 5-1; High Point 3-3
ARENA	Millis Center (High Point, N.C.) -- High Point Invitational

MATCH REPLAY
SET 1 I 21-25	The Bears completely dominated the first set with a .346 hitting percentage compared to the Panthers -.074. Mercer took the lead early on and took advantage of High Point's errors to set a score gap only allowing the Panthers to score eight points.
SET 2 I 25-19	Mercer got up early on High Point but began to crumble as they lost momentum due to a few erros and the Panthers took advantage. The Bears began to make a come back after kills from Ekes and Bumpers but it was not enough to defeat the revengeful Panthers.
SET 3 I 13-25	High Point carried their hot offense into the third set taking the lead early on with the biggest point deficit at 12-4. Mercer was able to rally back after long service runs from Bumpers and Phillips but High Point was able to string together plays after a few Mercer errors to take set three.
SET 4 I 25-17	The two squads halved the majority of the set exchanging swings back and forth. The Bears had the lead at 22-19 but following kills from the Panthers electric offense and a few Mercer errors, the Bears were not able to top High Point, resulting in the first loss of the season for Mercer.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
KILLS	Skye Ekes (16), Gia Padilla (10), Skyler Bumpers (9)
ASSISTS	Brooke Phillips (27), Sammi Bergjans (8), Gia Padilla (4), MeMe Davis (4)
DIGS	MeMe Davis (15), Brooke Phillips (12), Gia Padilla (7), Aubri Martin (7)
BLOCKS	Skye Ekes (5), Lou Johnson (3), Joselynn Sanjurjo (3)
SERVICE ACES	Brooke Phillips (4), Gia Padilla (2), Skyler Bumpers (2), Skye Ekes (2)

UP NEXT
The Bears head to Kennesaw State on Wednesday to face the Owls in a mid-week matchup before returning back to Hawkins Arena to host the MU Invitational on Sept. 13-14.

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SUPPORT THE BEARS
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