BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford volleyball team earned a 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 27-25, 25-18) win over Mercer Friday evening in the Pete Hanna Center.
 
With the win, Samford improved its season record to 12-14 overall and 7-8 in Southern Conference play. Mercer fell to 9-19 overall and 5-10 in league play.
 
Samford was led in the win by Kaleigh Meritt with 12 kills and eight digs. Sydney Waller also had 12 kills for the Bulldogs. Amelia Johnston led the team in digs with 13, while Shea Bruntmyer finished with a team-high 27 assists.
 
For Mercer, Sophia Henry led the way with 17 kills. Aubri Martin had a team-high 21 digs for the Bears.
 
In the first set, Samford jumped out to an early 7-3 lead. Mercer fought back to take a 12-11 lead. With the score tied at 16-16, Samford went on a 6-2 run to take a 22-18 lead. Samford took the first set, 25-21.
 
Mercer jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the second set. Samford came back to take an 11-10 lead. Mercer scored five of the next seven points to take a 15-13 lead. The Bears built their lead to five points at 20-15. Samford fought back to tie the score at 23-23. With the score knotted at 24-24, Mercer scored the next two points to take the second set, 26-24.
 
In the third set, the teams traded points early on until Samford was able to take a 12-7 lead. Mercer came back to take the lead at 19-18. Samford scored five of the next six points to take a 23-20 lead. Mercer fought back again to tie the score at 24-24. With the score tied at 25-25, Samford scored the next two points to earn the 27-25 set victory.
 
The fourth set was tight early on until an 8-0 Samford run gave the Bulldogs an 18-9 lead. With Samford leading, 20-12, Mercer scored four of the next five points to cut the lead to 21-16. Samford closed out the fourth set with a 25-18 win to take the match, 3-1.
 
Samford will close out the regular season by playing host to The Citadel on Saturday, Nov. 15. The match is set for a 5 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center.
 
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