November 13, 2010

Volleyball Upended by Kennesaw State, 3-2

MACON, Ga. - Senior middle blocker Krista Hurley knocked down a team-high 15 kills, but the Bears were edged by Kennesaw State 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 24-26, 25-13, 15-10) in Saturday night’s Atlantic Sun conference volleyball match.  With the loss, Mercer has locked up the five-seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

Mercer wraps up the regular season at 14-17 (6-4 A-Sun) while Kennesaw State finished 17-10 (9-1 A-sun).

 

"There's no shame in how we played tonight," head coach Noelle Rooke said.  "It a shame that our three senior leaders won't be playing at the UC any more.  They were a integral part of our success this season and have been the backbone of this team."

Mercer libero Charlotte Harris tallied 33 digs and moved into first place among the program’s single-season dig leaders. Harris’ 618 digs this season eclipsed Claire Tucker’s previous record of 600.

 

"I'm extremely proud of Charlotte's amazing accomplishment," Rooke said.  "She worked hard for the record and she is very deserving of the spot."

Junior outside hitter Amiee Frutchey recorded her team-leading 10^th double-double performance of the season with 14 kills and 22 digs.  Frutchey’s 14 kills came with only five errors, equating to a .220 hitting percentage.

After the teams split the first four sets, Kennesaw State pulled away from a 3-3 tie in the fifth set with three straight points.  Following a Mercer timeout, senior middle blocker Libby Hansch crushed a kill to cut the deficit to two (6-4).

Kennesaw State scored the next point however, and Mercer was unable to draw any close than three points for the remainder of the match.

Mercer out-blocked Kennesaw State 9-6 in the loss.

Sophomore Jamie Duffy contributed eight kills and 13 digs in the losing effort.

 

"A few weak spots of ours were exploited tonight," Rooke said.  "We'll learn from our mistakes and that will make a difference when it really matters in the conference tournament."

Mercer returns to action at the conference tournament on Nov. 18.  As the five-seed, the Bears will face No. 4 Belmont in the opening round.