Greenville, S.C. – The Furman volleyball team began a four-match homestand on Friday evening with a 3-0 (23-25, 23-25, 26-28) loss to the Mercer Bears in Southern Conference play at Alley Gymnasium.

Furman drops to 4-11 overall and 0-5 in the conference. With the win, Mercer improves to 6-11 on the season and 2-3 in league play.

Mary Beth Headley led the Paladins with a double-double and was one of two players who finished with double-digit kills. Headley compiled her third double-double this season on 10 kills and 10 digs. Grainne McGrath provided 10 kills on .444 hitting. Chandler Parker added a season high eight kills. Sarah Turner (16) and Ella Abraham (11) combined for 27 assists. Hadlee Ackerman tied her career high of 14 digs.

Annie Karle (21) and Paige Wagers (14) combined for 37 kills to pace the Bears on offense. Kiera McCarles dished out 38 assists to go with nine digs. Lexi Uhrhan led all players with 16 digs while Sadie Vente added 10.

The teams traded the first 10 points of the opening set before Mercer outscored Furman 13-7 to take an 18-12 lead. The Paladins fought back to trail by a point four times during the final stages beginning at 19-18 following a Bear attack error. Furman stayed within one point three times over the final six points and was down 24-23 on a Mercer service error. The Bears won the set on the following play.

The Paladins began the second set on a 7-2 run, leading to a Mercer timeout, that was highlighted by three consecutive service aces by Headley. Following the timeout, Furman went ahead 8-2 on an attack error. The Paladins maintained a 15-11 advantage midway on a kill by Lauren Haynes before the Bears rallied with a 9-2 run to lead 20-17. Furman answered with five straight points and tied the score at 22-22 when Parker connected on a kill. Headley kept the score even at 23-23 two plays later with her kill. Mercer scored the last two points for the 25-23 triumph.

The third set featured eight ties with each one occurring over the final 17 points. The Paladins trailed for most of the set before tying the score at 17-17 on a Bear attack error. Trailing 22-20 late, Furman registered four of the next five points and was at set point leading 24-23 when Genevieve Perry recorded a kill. Headley kept the Paladins at set point twice with the last coming at 26-25 with her kill. Mercer scored the final three points for the 28-26 set win and 3-0 match victory.

Furman concluded the match with eight total blocks led by McGrath's four (three assisted, one solo) and three from Kelsey Watkins on two solo and one assisted.

The Paladins return to action tomorrow afternoon hosting Samford at 4 p.m. The match is being streamed via paid subscription on ESPN+ with fans also being able to follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats.

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased on www.furmanpaladins.com or at the main entrance of Alley Gymnasium. Tickets for Furman students are free with their student ID.