Mercer and Wofford advance to the SoCon championship

No. 1 Mercer 3, No. 5 The Citadel 0

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – No. 1 seed Mercer swept No. 5 seed The Citadel in the first semifinal match of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday in Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Mercer advances to the SoCon championship match for the first time since the 2020-21 season. A win for the Bears on Sunday will give them their first SoCon tournament title in program history.

Mercer began the match with a 7-2 run, forcing an early timeout from The Citadel. After another point for the Bears, the Bulldogs worked their way back into the frame, getting to within one at 15-14 after an error. Mercer would side-out on the next point, carrying that into a 20-15 lead following an ace by first-team all-conference selection Skyler Bumpers.

Following a timeout, the Bulldogs scored five of the next six points to get within one at 21-20. Mercer responded by scoring the next four points to win the set 25-20, punctuated by a kill from Gia Padilla.

Mercer began the second set the same way it began the first, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage. The Bears would eventually get out to a 14-2 lead with MeMe Davis, a member of the all-freshman and second team all-conference teams, on the service line. The Bulldogs answered back, scoring six of the next eight points to force a timeout by Mercer.

The Bears regained control of the frame, keeping their lead above four points the rest of the set. An attack error by The Citadel would eventually end the frame 25-16, giving Mercer a 2-0 lead in the match.

In the third set, The Citadel had a better start, leading 3-1 after an ace by second-team all-conference selection Ali Ruffin. The Bulldogs’ lead would grow to 7-3 before the Bears would respond to tie the set at 8-8 after a kill by Padilla. SoCon Player of the Year Skye Ekes got a kill to move Mercer ahead 11-10 and the lead would grow to 14-11, forcing The Citadel to take a timeout.

After the break, Mercer’s lead grew to as many as six over the course of the frame. The Bears finished the set on an ace by SoCon Setter of the Year Brooke Phillips, giving the team a 25-18 victory.

Davis finished with match-highs in digs (24) and aces (4), while Bumpers recorded a match-high six blocks, three of which were solo. Phillips had 30 assists to lead both squads in the category. Ruffin logged a team-high nine kills and 18 digs for The Citadel.

No. 2 Wofford 3, No. 3 ETSU 1

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – No. 2 Wofford collected a win over No. 3 ETSU in four sets in the second semifinal match of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday in Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford will be playing for its second consecutive conference tournament title on Sunday.

The two teams were even through 28 points before Wofford got a kill from second-team all-conference selection Mary Emily Morgan, making the score 15-14 in favor of the Terriers. The set went into a media timeout following the Morgan kill. A 3-1 run after the break by Wofford led to a timeout by ETSU.

Wofford was able to keep control of the set after the Bucs timeout. An ace by Bri Mahoney put the Terriers two points away from victory at 23-18. Five points later, Morgan got a kill down the line to give Wofford a 25-21 set one victory.

The second set was a tightly contested affair similar to the first. The Terriers once again held a slim margin at the media timeout, this time leading 15-13 following a kill by first-team all-conference selection Sarah MacLean. ETSU would eventually tie the frame at 21-21 after an error by Wofford, prompting a timeout by the Terriers.

Wofford would score three of the next four points to reach set point, forcing an ETSU timeout. The frame would end on the next point following an attack error by the Buccaneers.

In the third set, ETSU got out to a 4-1 lead following a kill from second-team all-conference selection Reese Rhodes. A block from Whitley Rammel would put the Bucs ahead 15-12, leading to the media timeout.

ETSU kept increasing its lead as the set waned on, going up 20-14 after an attack error by Wofford. The Terriers would not go away quietly as a service ace by SoCon Libero of the Year Laney Klika made the score 23-18 in favor of ETSU. Following a timeout by the Bucs, Wofford got a point, but it was answered by a kill from Amanda Lowe before another attack error by the Terriers ended the frame 25-19.

Wofford got out to a quick start in the fourth set. After the score was tied 4-4, the Terriers got two kills from Mahoney and one from MacLean, forcing an ETSU timeout. The Terriers’ run would get to seven points as they led 11-4. ETSU responded with four straight points of its own, making the score 11-8.

The two teams played even over the next 20 points before Wofford ran off four consecutive points with all-freshman team selection Bradley Brown on the service line. The Terriers lead stood at 20-13 at that point. A kill by Mahoney eventually made the score 23-15.

An attack error by ETSU on the next point gave Wofford match point. The Bucs would then get three straight points to keep the set going, but a kill from Morgan ended the frame 25-18, giving the Terriers the four-set win.

Mahoney and Morgan both had double-doubles. Mahoney finished with 17 kills and 13 digs, while Morgan logged 13 kills and 12 digs. Klika recorded a match-high 28 digs. Annemarie Rakoski had seven blocks in the contest for Wofford.

ETSU was led by 10 kills from Lowe. Brianna Cantrell and Melanie Morris shared the team lead for digs with 16 apiece for the Buccaneers. Rhodes finished with a match-high 33 assists.

2024 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Spartanburg, South Carolina (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium)

Thursday, Nov. 21
First Round
Match 1: No. 9 UNCG 3, No. 8 Western Carolina 0

Friday, Nov. 22
Quarterfinals
Match 2: No. 5 The Citadel 3, No. 4 Samford 2
Match 3: No. 1 Mercer 3, No. 9 UNCG 0
Match 4: No. 2 Wofford 3, No. 7 Chattanooga 0
Match 5: No. 3 ETSU 3, No. 6 Furman 2

Saturday, Nov. 23
Semifinals
Match 6: No. 1 Mercer 3, No. 5 The Citadel 0
Match 7: No. 2 Wofford 3, No. 3 ETSU 1

Sunday, Nov. 24
Championship
Match 8: No. 1 Mercer vs. No. 2 Wofford, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)