Saturday, August 30, 2008

AUBURN, Ala. – Senior outside hitter Karen Dorris knocked down 12 kills, tallied 16 digs, recorded a block solo, and block assist to lead the Bears to a 3-1 (27-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-19) victory over Auburn University in Saturday morning's non-conference match held at the Student Activities Center on the campus of Auburn University.

With the win Mercer moves to a mark of 1-1 on the season and records the program's first victory over the SEC foe. Auburn falls to 0-2 on the season.

In the opening set Auburn sophomore middle blocker Alyssa Davis converted on her first five attacks to help the Tigers jump out to a 17-11 advantage. Rooke used a time-out and on the following play Dorris smashed a kill to cut the Tiger lead to five.

Rooke’s timely stoppage, combined with Dorris' kill and an injury to Auburn sophomore outside hitter Janelle Wallace on the same play marked the turning point in the match. Following that series Mercer went on a 12–5 run to steal the lead back from the Tigers.

Mercer's run was fueled when freshman rightside hitter Anna Coursey and sophomore middle blocker Krista Hurley discouraged the Tiger attack by combining to stuff Auburn junior outside hitter Emily Knuth on three consecutive plays.

Hurley finished the match with a match high seven block assists while Coursey contributed five block assists of her own.

At the start of the second set Mercer used three costly errors by the Tigers, and yet another kill by Dorris to jump out to an early 4-1 lead. It was clear Mercer had Auburn on its heels as the Bears continued to put the pressure on, extending the lead to six before Auburn head coach Wade Bensen was forced to call a timeout with his team trailing 12-6.

Throughout the match the Mercer front line worked to stymie the Auburn attack, ultimately out-blocking Auburn 11-5.

Mercer kept Auburn reeling early in the third set as Rooke’s squad gained an early 10-6 lead. Although Mercer had controlled momentum since Rooke’s timeout in the first set, Auburn would not go away quietly on their home court. Each team battled hard, exchanging points until Auburn ultimately took the third set 25-22.

By the fourth set both teams understood the match would come down to who wanted the victory more. Both teams struggled to pull away, but mid-way through the set Mercer held a slim 14-13 lead. After leading the way offensively, Dorris came up big on the defensive side, blocking Auburn attacks on two straight points and pushing the Bear lead to 16-13.

Ignited by the play of their senior leader the Mercer bench came alive, willing their team towards the unprecedented victory. Mercer pushed on and sealed the win when freshman outside hitter Rachel Urbelis crushed a kill to put away the Tigers. Urbelis showed her ability to be a dominant player, finishing with a team-high 12 kills and adding 11 digs.

Senior libero Claire Tucker played big throughout the match, piling up 15 digs of her own. Senior setter Kelly Jansen racked up a team-high 21 assists while junior Chelsea Gebben recorded 15 helpers.

In other A-Sun action Saturday afternoon, defending champion Lipscomb fell to defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Morehead State in the Atlantic Sun Match of the Week by a count of, 25-21, 23-25, 27-25, 25-23.