MACON, Ga. – It was a heavyweight bout between the Southern Conference's top-two teams Friday night inside Hawkins Arena, but the Wofford volleyball team could not complete its comeback efforts against Mercer, dropping a five-set battle (18-25, 25-22, 22-25, 26-24, 12-15). Wofford falls to 19-8 (11-4 SoCon) with the result as Mercer improves to 23-5 (13-2 SoCon).
 
The Terriers owned the net on the night with 10 blocks, the third-straight match with 10-plus denials for Wofford. Mercer was held to seven. The rest of the stats sheet was quite even, as the Bears held an attacking advantage, hitting .184 to Wofford's .172 clip. Mercer also tallied more kills (64-55) and assists (64-55). Though the Bears had 10 more digs (75-65), Wofford was within two aces (9-7).
 
Bri Mahoney led the charge for the Terriers with 14 kills and 16 digs, leading the team in both categories. This marks her seventh double-double of the season and the ninth of her career as she tied her career high for kills. Sarah MacLean recorded 12 kills to mark a pair in double figures. MacLean hit at a .440 clip with only one error in 25 attacks. Bradley Brown and Natalie Arnold both contributed eight kills, just short of double-digits. Brown posted a .300 clip with just two miscues in her 20 swings.
 
Taylor Pecht posted 20 assists with Maddy Frazier tallying 19. Leading the service efforts were Laney Klika and Mahoney, both of whom sent home two aces. Klika joined Mahoney with double-digit digs, notching 12. Pecht was one shy with nine. Frazier and Chloe Smith both recorded eight. Brown held down the net with six blocks, matching her career high. Half of her denials were solo. Reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week Annemarie Rakoski added four blocks, as did Arnold.
 
Set one set a tone for the match as a see-saw battle. After Mercer won the first two points, Wofford responded with the following four, highlighted by kills from Mary Emily Morgan, Bradley Brown and Natalie Arnold. Trading blows, Wofford rode a three-point run in the middle goings to pull within a point, 13-12, with a Laney Klika ace highlighting the swing. Mercer won three of the following four points, but Brown put home a kill, and Morgan delivered an ace to pull Wofford back within a point, 16-15. However, the Bears claimed the next four points, creating enough distance to keep the Terriers at arm's length. Despite Wofford's best attempts, including a late kill by Sarah MacLean, Mercer pulled out to a 25-18 win in set one.
 
Set two was tight early as well, with Mercer leading 11-10. But an error sided out for Wofford, sparking a four-point run to flip the lead. Brown took charge with a block and kill to lift the Terriers ahead 14-11. Mercer would push back, pulling in font 16-15, but Natlie Arnold notched a kill, kicking off a five-point swing that pushed Wofford ahead 20-16. After a Bear kill, a Mercer attack error provided a sideout for the Terriers, and Caroline Przystup took to the service line. She orchestrated a four-point run that she punctuated with an ace for set point. Though the Bears fought back, using their own five-point run to pull within 24-22. Mahoney had enough, though, posting a kill to clinch the set 25-22 and even the match.
 
Wofford rolled out of the gates to a 9-7 lead in set three before Mercer responded to flip ahead 11-9. Mahoney opened a three-point run with a kill, and Brown closed it with an ace to push Wofford ahead 12-11. The Teams went back-and-forth from there with back-to-back Bear points pushing Mercer to a 21-19 lead. Arnold's kill helped Wofford keep pace, but the Bears tallied two more thereafter. Mahoney struck with a kill and ace to bring Wofford within 23-22, but Mercer took advantage of two errors to claim the set 25-22 and pull ahead in the match.
 
Needing a response, Wofford opened set four with three consecutive points thanks to kills from Annemarie Rakoski and Chloe Smith alongside a Mahoney ace. But Mercer chipped away and pulled ahead, holding a slight lead through the middle portions of the set. An ace later in the frame had Mercer up 18-15. But Smith sent home a kill, sparking a three-point run to tie the set at 18-all, with the tying point an Arnold-Rakoski block. Mercer posted its own three-point run in response, but Arnold and Smith went back-to-back on kills to keep pace. Mercer did the same to lead 23-20, closing in on the win. The resilient Terriers refused to quit, however, and MacLean put home a kill to spark a three-point run, tying the set. Mercer reached set point with a kill thereafter, but MacLean struck once more to nix that. Mahoney then lowered the hammer, and Brown clinched the set with an emphatic solo block for the 26-24 win to force a fifth frame.
 
After Mercer won the first two points of the fifth set, Wofford pushed back with a kill from Rakosi and a Bear error. Mercer tallied two more points, but MacLean delivered back-to-back kills as Wofford kept pace. But the Bears found a rhythm, notching a 7-2 run to pull in front 11-6. A Mercer error sided out for Wofford, and Mahoney posted a kill to bring the Terriers within 11-8. Wofford began to chip away with two separate instances of back-to-back points. The second such instance pulled Wofford within 13-12, but a Terrier error brought about match point, and a Bear kill ended the contest despite Wofford's hard-fought efforts.
 
The result of the match locks Wofford into the No. 2 seed for next week's Southern Conference Tournament, marking the best seeding for the event in program history. The Terriers will look to conclude the regular season on a high note tomorrow when they travel to Greenville, South Carolina, to battle rival Furman at 4:00 p.m.