Volleyball Takes Winning Streak South

MACON, Ga.  – After downing Atlantic Sun opponents North Florida and Jacksonville last weekend, the Mercer volleyball team returns to conference play at Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast on Oct. 15-16.  Mercer meets the Hatters on Friday at 6 p.m. before challenging the Eagles on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Last Time Out

MACON, Ga. – Mercer senior middle blocker Libby Hansch hammered down 12 kills with just three errors as the Bears staged a come-from-behind victory over Jacksonville in Saturday afternoon’s volleyball match at the University Center.  Mercer took a 3-1 (19-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-23) victory, marking its second-straight conference triumph.

Scouting the Opposition

Stetson  is 1-18 (0-4 A-Sun) after most recently falling to Campbell 3-1 in Buies Creek, N.C. on Oct. 9.  The Hatters return four starters from last year’s team that finished 1-27 (0-20 A-Sun).  Stetson is seeking its first conference win since the Hatters defeated UNF on Nov. 15, 2008.  Mercer owns the all-time series with Stetson, 14-8. In 2009, Mercer swept Stetson in two regular season meetings.

FGCU is 4-13 (1-2 A-Sun) after falling to Campbell in their last outing on Oct. 8.  The Eagles feature four returning starters from last year’s team that finished 18-13 (15-5 A-Sun).  FGCU boasts two players with over 100 kills on the season in Jacqueline Cowden and Chelsea Lyles.  FGCU leads the all-time series with Mercer, 4-1.  Last year, Mercer broke through for its first win against the Eagles, claiming a 3-1 triumph on Nov. 7, 2009 in Fort Myers.

Match Notes

Mercer swept a weekend set with UNF and Jacksonville at the University Center on Oct. 8-9.  The Bears improved their conference record to 2-2 with the sweep.  If Mercer can top Stetson, it will mark the first time the Bears have been over .500 in conference play since the 2008 season.

Junior outside hitter Amiee Frutchey is approaching the 1,000 dig total for her career. Frutchey has 969 digs entering Friday’s matchup with Stetson.

Libero Charlotte Harris has racked up 377 digs in 75 sets, ranking the junior first among A-Sun players in digs per set (5.03).

As a team, the Bears have had a hitting percentage of .150 or better in 11 matches this season.  Mercer is 8-3 when hitting better than .150 and 0-11 when hitting under .150.