Wofford College Athletics

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Senior libero Jessica Graham became the Wofford volleyball program's new record holder for career digs on Saturday at Mercer. She needed just four heading into the match and finished with a team-high 21, breaking Reagan Styles' record of 1,631 digs midway through the opening set.
 
"I tried not to think about it much during the match, but the thought was still in the back of my mind," said Graham, who now has 1,649 career digs. "I'm happy to have broken the record. It's something I will definitely be able to look back on and be proud that I accomplished. However, I wish it could have come in a win."
 
The Terriers were unsuccessful in their bid for a third straight Southern Conference win. Every set came down to the wire, but Mercer was better in the stretch as Wofford fell in four (25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 24-26). It improved the Bears to 6-0 inside Hawkins Arena.
 
"We got away from a lot of the things that worked for us over the past week," said head coach Lynze Roos, whose Terriers swept defending SoCon Tournament champion Samford and defending regular season champion Furman to win their last two matches. "We didn't serve as well as we had been, our passing line started slow and we played into Mercer's strengths too often. They have a strong block and a great libero."
 
Mercer (7-11, 3-4 SoCon) outdueled Wofford (9-11, 2-3 SoCon) 14-12 on the block, the most blocks this season by a Terrier opponent. Mercer libero Tori Penrod registered a match-high 25 digs and the Bears also won the battle on offense, outhitting Wofford .145 to .111 and earning a 53-49 advantage in kills.
 
Mercer's freshman middle Paige Alsten entered the match ranked No. 2 in the Southern Conference in blocks per set (1.15). She added to her average on Saturday, posting a match-high 11 blocks in four sets (2.75 per set).
 
Despite the loss, Danni Densford posted great numbers. The sophomore middle recorded 10 kills at a .400 hitting percentage, also matching a season-high with six blocks. Redshirt freshman Lauren Miller had a team-high 11 kills (.259), as did sophomore Bella Santoro, but Santoro's came with 13 errors to hit -.039. Sophomore setter Molly Mayo posted her team-leading eighth double-double, registering 42 assists and tying her career-high of 14 digs. Santoro also recorded her eighth double-double with 11 digs.
 
Morgan MacGilvary posted a match-high 17 kills for the Bears. She was joined in double figures by Emily Krogman and Monica Johnson.
 
A 12-3 run propelled Wofford in the the first set. Mercer scored the opening four points before the Terriers settled in and the Bears pushed the lead to as many as five at 10-5. Santoro rotated around to serve and began the run as Wofford scored six straight to take its first lead of the set. Mercer used a timeout, but it did little to stop Wofford's momentum. The Terriers went in front 17-13 and pushed the lead to five late at 23-18. A late Mercer rally stalled and three Densford kills on five swings led the Terriers to a first-set victory.
 
The three remaining sets all came down to the final few points. Eleven ties and seven lead changes resulted in a 23-all tie in the second before the Bears pulled it out on a Monica Johnson kill and Terrier attack error.
 
The third and fourth sets each saw 16 ties. Mercer overcame a hot Wofford start and scored the final four points to take the third. In the fourth, the Bears earned double-match point at 24-22, but Wofford saved both to tie it back up at 24. However, Johnson put the match away for Mercer, slamming a kill to put the Bears back in front and blocking Terrier freshman Colleen Reilly to win it in four.
 
The Terriers get the opportunity to bounce back quickly, as they head straight from Macon, Ga., to Charleston, S.C., to take on The Citadel. The match is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Terrier Notes:
- Jessica Graham broke Wofford's career digs record with her fourth dig of the first set, surpassing Reagan Styles' (2009-12) record of 1,631 digs.
- Wofford fell to 3-8 in its all-time series against Mercer. The last six meeting have been split 3-3.
- Molly Mayo and Bella Santoro recorded their eighth double-doubles, which leads all Terriers.