CHARLESTON, S.C. – It was senior night and the last home game of the 2015 season inside McAlister Field House on Friday as The Citadel volleyball team lost a gritty five setter to Mercer 3-2.
Senior middle hitter
Bailey Kernodle and setter
Rachel Keefer were recognized before the game for their accomplishments over the past four years.
The Citadel jumped out to a quick one-set lead over the Bears taking the first set 25-19 behind 14 kills and three service aces from
Megan Sowell.
Mercer evened things up in the second set, going on a 6-0 run to close things out and take it 25-20. The Citadel won handedly in the third set, 25-15, after recording 12 kills and a .407 attack percentage. The third set would end after Mercer received two ball handling errors in a row to give the Bulldogs the win. The Bears had six ball handling errors in the third set.
Mercer evened things once again in the fourth set behind a score of 25-20 to set up a deciding fifth set. The Bears jumped out to a 9-3 lead but the Bulldogs scrambled to close the gap to 11-8 behind solid serving from Sowell. The junior finished the contest with six aces, the fourth most in a single game in Bulldog history. Mercer would close the door on the Bulldogs from there though, tallying four straight points to take the 3-2 victory.
Kernodle finished her career inside McAlister with a bang, leading the team in kills with 13. Sowell and
Carla Bruce both tallied 11. Sowell also recorded 23 digs for a team best. Keefer led the Bulldogs with a match-high 42 assists. The Citadel was out-blocked 12.0-7.0 in the contest.
"I thought we executed perfectly the first set," head coach
Craig Mosqueda said. "We had a slow start in the second set and we played lights out in set three. Once we learn to finish a match, we will be a contender."
The Bulldogs will now travel to Wofford for the last game of the regular season on Saturday. First serve is set for 6 p.m. and live stats and video will be available at CitadelSports.com.
For more information on The Citadel women's volleyball, follow
@CitadelVB or visit CitadelSports.com.
