September 10, 2010

Morehead State Tops Volleyball, 3-1

RALEIGH, N.C. – Sophomore Jamie Duffy spiked a career-high 10 kills and narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs, but the Bears fell victim to Morehead State by the count of 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22) in Friday afternoon’s non-conference volleyball match.

Friday afternoon’s match marked Mercer’s first contest at the North Carolina State tournament. Morehead State improved to 5-4 (0-0 OVC) while Mercer fell to 2-8 (0-0 A-Sun).

Mercer senior middle blocker Libby Hansch contributed a match-high five total blocks in the losing effort. Junior Anna Coursey posted nine kills on just 20 swings with four total blocks.

In the opening frame, each team traded scores until the scoreboard was knotted at eight. Over the next moments, the Eagles employed an 8-1 run and went on to take the first set 25-19.

In the second stanza, Mercer broke away from an 18-18 tie with four-straight scores. The Bears captured the second-set victory behind three kills from Duffy, Coursey, and senior Erica Vrvilo.

The final two sets featured a combined total of 16 tie scores and seven lead changes, but the Eagles edged the Bears in the final moments of each set to claim victory.

Mercer libero Charlotte Harris notched 26 digs against the Eagles. Freshman Bridget Sheerin handed out 16 assists and added nine digs.

Mercer returns to action in the North Carolina State tournament on Saturday, challenging NC State at 1 p.m. and Georgia Southern at 5:30 p.m.