MACON, GA. – Sophia Henry had a match high 15 kills on Saturday evening to lead the Mercer Bears to a 3-1 (26-24, 15-25, 26-24, 25-23) victory over Furman in Southern Conference volleyball action inside Hawkins Arena.

Furman, who saw its four-match winning streak come to an end, drops to 17-7 overall and 8-4 in the SoCon. With the win, Mercer improves to 8-17 on the season and 4-8 in league play.

The Paladins had three players finish with 10 or more kills led by Ashley Stein's 11 on .265 hitting. Tennyson Gorman registered her first career double-double on 10 kills and a career high 10 blocks. Lindsay Walch also had 10. Quinn Morrissey dished out 27 assists while Eva Wheeler contributed 16 assists and nine digs. Kennedy Seekford led all players with 25 digs.

Henry finished with a double-double for the Bears after totaling 11 digs. Charlotte Thompson recorded 10 kills. Sammi Bergjans had a team best 20 assists and Aubri Martin 23 digs.

Furman was held to just .104 hitting in the first set with Mercer earning a 26-24 win. Stein led the team with four kills, Morrissey six assists, and Seekford eight digs. The Bears opened on a 10-5 run and led 13-7 before the Paladins used a 13-6 run to hold a 20-19 lead following Gorman's kill. Stein had Furman at set point leading 24-23 after her kill. Mercer picked up the final three points.

The Paladins bounced back in the second set with a 25-15 victory, tying the match at 1-1. Furman hit .333 as a team and limited the Bears to .000. Three different players tallied three kills, Morrissey added six assists, and Seekford six digs. The Paladins scored 10 of the initial 15 points and built an 18-7 lead off a Mercer attack error. Furman led by as many as 11 points four times with the last coming at 24-13 on another attack error by the Bears. Ashtan Dodson secured the set with her kill.

The third set featured 18 ties and nine lead changes and went into extra points with Mercer earning the 26-24 triumph. The Paladins outhit the Bears, .310-.250, but had six fewer kills. Three different players led Furman with three kills each, Morrissey dished out eight assists, and Seekford posted six digs. The teams traded the first 24 points and the Paladins would hold a 20-18 lead when Walch connected on a kill. The Bears responded to tie the score when Gorman later put Furman at set point, 24-23, with her kill. Mercer scored three straight points to pick up the set victory.

The Bears clinched the match with a 25-23 win in the fourth set. The Paladins posted a .146 hitting percentage to Mercer's .104 clip but committed four service errors. Walch had a team high three kills, Morrissey seven assists, and Dodson and Seekford both collected five digs. The Bears jumped out to a 12-7 lead and held a 19-14 advantage late when Furman used an 8-3 run to even the score at 22-22 when Dodson posted a kill. Walch tied it again at 23-23 when Mercer clinched the match with the last two points.

The Paladins concluded the match hitting .211 overall.

Furman plays its final home matches of the season next week, November 6-8, hosting Wofford and East Tennessee State at Alley Gymnasium.

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