September 16, 2010

Volleyball Heads to South Carolina State Spikefest

MACON, Ga. – Fresh off a sweep of Florida A&M in Tallahassee, the Mercer volleyball team is set to travel to South Carolina State’s Spikefest.  The Bears are scheduled to face North Carolina Central on Friday at 4 p.m. before challenging Hampton and South Carolina State on Saturday.

Last Time Out

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Mercer senior Erica Vrvilo had a match-high 12 kills and her classmates Libby Hansch and Krista Hurley each hit over .500 as the Bears cruised past Florida A&M, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-14) in Tuesday night’s non-conference volleyball match.

Scouting the Opposition

North Carolina Central enters the matchup with Mercer holding a 1-9 (0-0 MEAC) record. The Eagles return four starters from last year’s team that finished 9-23.

Senior outside hitter Belinda Behncke-Biney leads the Eagles’ offense with 81 kills (2.61 k/s).

North Carolina Central has a 0-2 record in neutral site matches this season. Friday’s match marks the first meeting between the schools in volleyball.

 

Hampton is 0-11 after falling in straight sets to Binghamton on Sept. 11. The Lady Pirates feature six returners from last year’s team that finished 9-19 (4-7 MEAC).

Senior Aaryn Harrison is the team’s go-to attacker, racking up a team best 71 kills in 31 sets played.

Saturday’s match marks only the second meeting between the schools in volleyball. Mercer took a 3-0 victory in the team’s only meeting on Sept. 6, 2002.

South Carolina State is currently 1-10 (0-0 MEAC) after falling to Furman in four sets on Sept. 11. The Lady Bulldogs are scheduled to meet North Carolina Central, Hampton and the Citadel before facing Mercer on Saturday evening.

South Carolina State returns four starters from last season’s team that finished 13-20 (4-4 MEAC). Senior outside hitter Jarne Gleaton tops the team with 82 kills (2.83 k/s).

Mercer has not lost in five all-time meetings with South Carolina State. The last time the teams faced each other was Sept. 9, 2000. In that matchup, Mercer captured a 3-1 victory.

Game Notes

Libero Charlotte Harris has racked up 213 digs in 43 sets, ranking the junior first among A-Sun players in digs per set (4.95).

 

Mercer has out-blocked its opponent in seven of its 13 matches. The Bears are 3-4 when out-blocking its opponent, and are ranked fourth among A-Sun teams in the category (2.09 b/s).