CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel volleyball team hit a season-best .266 from the floor, but fell in its Southern Conference opener against Mercer, 33-31, 25-23, 19-25 and 25-18 on Saturday night.

Offensively, the Bulldogs had one of their best matches of the season with three players finishing in double digit kills.

Outside hitter Moriah Smith paced the team with 19 kills, adding a team-high 16 digs for her 11th double-double of the season. Right-side hitter Megan Sowell had 17 kills and a season-high .371 hitting percentage. Outside hitter Carla Bruce finished with 11 kills while middle hitter Sarah Dobrich added eight kills and a .467 hitting percentage.

The Bulldogs, who dropped to 6-10 on the season and 0-1 in the SoCon, had their longest set of the season to start the match in a 33-31 loss. The set featured 21 ties, with neither team gaining more than a point advantage after it was tied at 17.

The Bears had five straight set points before the Bulldogs answered to take a 29-28 lead on a Mercer attack error. The Bears answered with two straight points to reclaim the lead, but Moriah Smith tied it up at 30 with her sixth kill of the set. The Bulldogs had another set point, but Mercer took the next three points to claim the marathon set.

The Citadel took another close-set loss in the second stanza, falling 25-23. The Bulldogs held a five point lead 15-10 and again 21-16, but the Bears rallied for nine of the last 11 points to take a 2-0 set lead.

In set three, the Bulldogs answered with one of their best sets of the season in a 25-18 victory, hitting .516 with 16 kills and no errors. Moriah Smith finished with seven kills in the set to lead the Bulldogs.
Mercer responded in the fourth set, holding the Bulldogs to .088 from the floor to take it 25-18.

Setter Logan Smith led The Citadel with 49 assists. Dobrich finished with five block assists. The Bulldogs held an 8-2 advantage in total blocks and a .266 to .259 lead in hitting percentage. However, the Bulldogs finished with 12 service errors to two service aces.

The Bulldogs will next be at Western Carolina on Sunday at 3 p.m. They last played the Catamounts in the opening round of the 2015 SoCon Championships. Live video and stats will be available for the match.

For more information on The Citadel volleyball follow @CitadelVB or visit CitadelSports.com.