MACON, Ga. – After narrowly dropping a five-set clash in Sunday's matchup, the Wofford volleyball team would slip in the series finale to Mercer (10-5, 9-1 SoCon) in straight sets, 9-25, 20-25, 22-25, at Hawkins Arena on Monday evening. The loss drops the Terriers to 7-4 overall in the Southern Conference.
 
Freshman Sarah Barham led the Terriers with a team-high eight kills and an ace, as senior middle blocker Riley Coonan registered six kills, two blocks and a dig. Sophomore Bella Zeman added six kills as well, while recording two digs and a block, while sophomore Meghan Yaffa contributed a team-best 10 digs and four kills.
 
Freshman Emily Hodsdon finished just shy of a double-double with a match-high 23 assists and nine digs, in addition to three kills. Abbey Richman recorded seven digs, an ace and two assists, as Kelly Hubbard and Emory Wyatt round out the contributions on the day with two and one kill, respectively.
 
After suffering a brutal start to the match that saw the Bears hit .600 with 16 kills on 25 swings and one error to come away with a 25-9 first-set rout, the Terriers licked their wounds and rebounded with resilience for a competitive second set, despite Mercer claiming the 2-0 edge.
 
Two Sarah Barham kills allowed the Terriers to open an 8-5 lead, as Barham would register another kill shortly after a Mercer timeout to give Wofford a four-point advantage, 10-6. The Bears quickly prowled back from the deficit, seeing the Terriers hold a 16-13 cushion after a 3-0 run, capped by a Bella Zeman kill and Abbey Richman ace on serve.
 
Hodsdon set up another Zeman kill, though, Mercer then kicked things into gear in igniting an overwhelming 6-0 run that claimed a 20-17 Bears lead and forced a Wofford timeout. Errors got the best of the Terriers in the late stretch of the frame, seeing the Bears collect three points off Wofford miscues prior to ringing in back-to-back kills to end the set in Mercer's favor, 25-20.
 
The Bears held a 10-7 advantage in the third, prior to pushing a six-point spread after a 5-1 spurt that made the score 15-9. Wofford would talk things over, seeing Mercer extend the lead to 18-11, as the Terriers came out the break rattling off five-straight upon a Bella Zeman and Riley Coonan block and consecutive kills from the duo to climb back with one, 18-17.
 
Zeman kept the Terriers within arm's length with a pair of kills, as consecutive Mercer errors allowed for Sarah Barham to send one home to make for a one-point deficit and see the Bears call a timeout at 23-22. Out of the timeout, Mercer's Annie Karle sent home a kill before seeing the hosts come away with the 3-0 sweep after a bad set on the Terriers ended the frame and match at 25-22.
 
Next, Wofford (7-4, 7-4 SoCon) travels to Greensboro, North Carolina to face the UNCG Spartans in its next series on Sunday and Monday, March 14-15. First serve for Sunday's, Mar. 14, matchup is slated for 6 p.m., while Monday's is scheduled for a 5 p.m.