Game Box (PDF)

Macon, Ga. – Kayla Eversgerd recorded a double-double with 19 kills and 13 digs to lead USC Upstate to a 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-17, 25-20) victory at Mercer Saturday afternoon in A-Sun volleyball action in Hawkins Arena.

Upstate (1-9) picked up its first A-Sun win of the year with the win and improved to 1-1 in the A-Sun. Mercer fell to 1-11 overall and 0-2 in the league.

Eversgerd hit at a .233 clip and accounted for a team high 19.5 points on the day. Alexa Lagaly also reached double figures in kills with 13, while Emily Koelling added 11. Lexi Gober tallied 47 assists and 11 digs for a double-double of her own, while Morgan Page led the Spartans with 19 digs.

Upstate picked up the win in the first set, 25-19. Mercer opened the set with a 3-0 run, but Upstate quickly rallied back and tied the match at 4-4. Tied at 8-8, the Spartans rattled off four straight to open a four-point lead. Mercer battled back and the set was close until Upstate used a 5-0 run to take a 17-16 lead to a 22-16 advantage and went on for the win.

Mercer fought back and took the second set, 25-20. The Bears opened an early four-point advantage before Upstate battled back to get within one. Mercer again extended its lead to four points midway through the set and used another 4-0 run to open a 16-9 lead. The Spartans could only get as close as six the rest of the set, at 23-17, as the Bears evened the match.

Following the intermission, Upstate came out determined to take the lead in the match with a win in the third set, and the Spartans did just that with an eight-point win. After Mercer opened a 3-1 lead, the Spartans battled back to tie the match at 4-4. Leading 9-7, Upstate used a 5-0 run to take a 14-7 lead and did not allow the Bears to get any closer than four points the rest of the way as the Spartans took a 2-1 lead in the match with the 25-17 win.

Upstate started fast in the fourth set as it looked to put the match away and not send it to a fifth and deciding set. The Spartans used a 6-0 run to open a 7-1 lead, but Mercer battled back with a 7-2 run to get within 9-8. The teams jockeyed for position and every time Upstate attempted to extend its lead, the Bears fought back to keep the set close until the Spartans put distance between themselves and the Bears late in the frame. Leading by one, the Spartans extended the lead to four. Mercer managed to get within three, 21-18, before the Spartans scored the next two points to open a commanding five point lead and went on for the 25-20 win in the set and a 3-1 victory in the match.

Molly Locke led Mercer with 14 kills.

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