MACON, Ga. – The Wofford volleyball team picked up its first Southern Conference win with a 3-0 sweep at Mercer on Friday night. Wofford won the match 25-14, 25-21, 25-21. Nine of Wofford's 15 matches this season have been 3-0 decisions and Wofford is now 7-2 in those matches.
With the win, Wofford improves to 10-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while Mercer drops to 4-8, losing their fifth in a row, and 0-1 in SoCon action. The win is Wofford's first 3-0 conference road sweep since downing Furman on Oct. 8 last season. It's the first 3-0 sweep for the Terriers against Mercer since Oct. 4, 2014.
Catie Cronister led all players with 12 kills. The sophomore hit .269 with a career high six aces, seven digs and three block assists. The six aces moves Cronister into a tie for ninth in the record books for aces in a three set match.
Bijonae Jones had a solid outing, finishing with nine kills, five digs, two aces and two blocks.
Sophomore
Lorissa King recorded her first double-double of the season. The setter finished with 23 assists and 10 digs in the win. She added two kills on three attempts.
Taylor Gill, the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week, tallied seven digs, seven assists and two aces.
Wofford tallied a season high 12 service aces as a team. Wofford hit .213 and held Mercer to .108, including -.043 in the opening set. The Terriers tallied eight blocks, while the Bears recorded just three.
Wofford dominated the entire match, only trailing four times but never by more than a point at any time. In the first set, the Terriers jumped out to a 4-0 lead to begin play. Mercer scored a point, but Wofford used another 4-0 run to take an 8-1 lead. Wofford's lead jumped to eight at 12-4 and forced Mercer to call a timeout. Mercer used a 3-0 run to pull within six with Wofford leading 14-8 but Wofford followed with a 3-0 run to extend the lead back out. Up 21-14, Wofford used a 4-0 run to close the set and go up 1-0.
The Bears started out hot in the second set and took an early 3-1 lead. But, Wofford had a 5-0 run right after and led 6-3. Mercer rallied off four straight to take their first lead of the set and match at 7-6. Wofford rallied back, though, and forced a Mercer timeout up 12-8. The Bears pulled within two at 21-19 and called a timeout to regroup, but it wouldn't be enough. Wofford, again, ended the set on a 4-0 run and took a 2-0 lead into the break.
The third set was more evenly matched. The two teams traded points until, down 16-17, Wofford used a 4-0 run to regain the lead 20-17. Mercer won the next two to again pull within a single point, but a 5-2 run by the Terriers sealed the deal and gave Wofford a 25-21 win and a road sweep.
Wofford's first conference road trip of the season continues as the Terriers face Samford (5-9) on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. ET. The Terriers return home to Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 27 against The Citadel.
