JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - East Tennessee State University's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to Mercer on Friday at Brooks Gymnasium.
East Tennessee State (2-12, 0-3 SoCon) took an 11-9 lead against Mercer (9-6, 3-0 SoCon) to open the first set thanks to a 7-1 run. Mercer battled back, tying the set at 12 with a kill by Lara Matta. The Buccaneers took the lead again with kills by
Sophie Davis and
Karis Chatfield, as kills from
Elizabeth Aylward and
Makayla Bays allowed them to lead 21-17. The Bears managed to tie the set and take the lead with a kill by Matta and Bella Pons at 25-24. A kill by Chatfield would be the Bucs' last point of the set as the Bears took the 27-25 win with a block and a Buccaneer error.
The Bears took an early lead on the Bucs, going up 10-5 to open the second frame. A kill by
Chloe Smith and
Malia Brinkman, followed by an ace from Smith, allowed the Bucs to take a 16-15 lead and force a Bears timeout. The teams exchanged points, as a service ace by
Melanie Morris tied the set at 21. The Bears ended the set on a 4-1 run to take the 25-22 second-set win.
The third set opened with back-and-forth action, as a Bears' error tied the set at 10. The Bucs took a lead with another Bears' error, and extended that lead with a kill by Davis,
Emma MacFerran, and Aylward to lead 16-12. The Bears battled back, tying the set and taking the lead with an ace by Emily Matias. A kill by
Gianna Blair tied the set at 18, as the Bears ended the set on a 7-0 run to take the 25-18 third-set win.
The Bucs are back in action tomorrow at 11 a.m. to face Mercer at Brooks Gym.
MATCH POINTS
