Mercer University
Montana State
Mercer Volleyball Hosts Mercer Invitational in Non-Conference Finale
9/16/2026 5:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Macon, Ga. – Mercer Volleyball will host the Mercer Invitational from Sept. 17-19 in Hawkins Arena.
Mercer's Weekend Outlook
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Thursday, Sept. 17 — 6:00 p.m. ET: Mercer vs. Montana State
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Friday, Sept. 18 — 6:00 p.m. ET: Mercer vs. Georgia State
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Saturday, Sept. 19 — 2:00 p.m. ET: Mercer vs. Charleston Southern
Mercer Bears
The Bears (5-4) are coming off a dominating 3-0 sweep over the Florida A&M Rattlers in their home opener on Tuesday and have won three of their last four matches in the past week. Mercer was led by Sammi Bergjans, who recorded 37 assists (12.33 assists/set), five digs, two service aces, and two kills. Lara Matta dominated on both sides of the ball, totaling 13 kills with a team-leading nine digs. Avery Wilks and Brooklyn Palmer also anchored the front row, each totaling nine kills with a .400 hitting percentage while adding six total blocks.
Montana State Bobcats
The Bobcats (5-3) started their season with three straight wins at the Maroon and White Classic before going 1-2 at the Tommie Invitational and 1-1 at the Bobcat Invitational. The team is led by Joelie Spelts, who leads the team with 89 kills, a .410 hitting percentage, and 30 blocks (.88 blocks/set). Teagan Jaynes has also been a strong contributor for Montana State, leading the team with 11 service aces and 243 assists. Montana State was predicted to finish in sixth place in the Big Sky with Spelts and Jaynes being nominated to the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team.
Georgia State Panthers
The Panthers (5-4) dropped their first three matches of the season at the Jaguar Classic, but won five of their last six, including their last four matches to enter the weekend with a winning record. The team is led offensively by Akira Burt, who has 129 kills (3.69 kills/set), 52 digs, and 28 blocks on the season. Sophia Johnson is another strong contributor for Georgia State, as she recorded 47 kills with a .328 hitting percentage, 28 digs, and five blocks to earn SBC Offensive Player of the Week honors. She currently paces the team in digs at 90 and ranks second on the team in kills with 101. The Panthers were picked to finish sixth in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference with no players receiving Preseason All-Sun Belt Team honors.
Charleston Southern Buccaneers
The Buccaneers (6-4) went 2-1 at each of their first three tournaments of the season while dropping an extra match to Duke on Sept. 8. The team is led by Brynn Minter and Faith Burch. Minter was named the Big South Freshman and Player of the Week after totaling 52 kills, 14 service aces, and 29 digs. She is currently tied for the team-lead in kills at 117, leading the team with 24 service aces, and also adds 82 digs with 16 blocks on the season. Burch also has 117 kills with a .331 hitting percentage. She ranks second on the team with 17 blocks while adding 23 digs and two service aces. The Buccaneers were picked to finish fourth in the Big South preseason poll with no players earning a Big South Preseason All-Conference Team selection.
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