Macon, Ga. – Kylee Quigley totaled a match high 12 kills to lead the Mercer Bears to a 3-0 (18-25, 15-25, 20-25) victory over the Furman volleyball team in Southern Conference play, Saturday evening inside Hawkins Arena.

With the loss, Furman drops to 12-5 on the season and 3-3 in league play. Mercer improves to 8-9 overall and 4-2 in the SoCon.

Izzy Castelloe led the Paladins offensively with eight kills on .429 hitting while Lindsay Walch contributed seven after hitting .217. Eva Wheeler finished with a season high 14 assists, and Ella Abraham and Emily Navarro combined for 14. Kennedy Seekford had a team best 11 digs.

Quigley concluded the match hitting .304 overall for the Bears with Gia Padilla adding eight kills, Aliyah Waldon seven, and Skyler Bumpers six. Jessica Dunn and Kiera McCarles both had 17 assists. Abbey Havrilla led all players with a match high 16 digs.

Furman took an early 6-5 lead in the first set on Castelloe's kill before a combination block from Lauren Haynes and Grainne McGrath evened the score at 10-10. The Bears broke the set open by following with a 6-1 run before the Paladins answered back and trailed 18-16 on a kill from Sydney Tanner. Mercer closed out the set on a 7-2 run for the 25-18 victory.

The second set featured a total of 12 ties. Walch put Furman ahead 11-10 and Castelloe gave it the lead back at 13-12 four points later with her kill. Castelloe would then tie the score at 14-14 midway after another kill. The Bears outscored the Paladins 11-1 after that to win 25-15.

The teams traded points early in the third set with McGrath giving Furman a 13-12 lead following her kill. Mercer responded by going on an 11-4 run to go in front 23-17 in the later stages. The Paladins attempted a late rally with three consecutive points, capped by a solo block from Castelloe, to trail 23-20. Castelloe added a kill and combined with Tanner for a block for the other two points. The Bears claimed the final two points to secure the 25-20 win and 3-0 match victory.

Furman finished the contest hitting .120 overall with four players posting a .200 percentage or greater.

The Paladins return to Alley Gymnasium next weekend, October 13-14, to host The Citadel and UNC Greensboro.